


Heaven Helps the Fox

by GarrulousParakeet



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance, nick x judy, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-21 18:28:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7398646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GarrulousParakeet/pseuds/GarrulousParakeet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Outward apathy goes hand in hand with Nicholas P. Wilde's motto "Don't let them see they get to you", but a certain bunny has ways of breaking down his tough exterior.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fan fiction I have ever actually posted online, so any and all criticism would be appreciated!

The pair walked side by side down the streets of Savanah Central, the towering building of the Zootopia Police department disappearing from sight as they round the corner, neither of the two mammals saying a word to the other. Judy wringed her paws uncomfortably as she walked, the desire to talk to her partner on her face, but too scared to initiate the conversation. Her lanky fox companion doesn’t notice her discomfort, or if he does, he doesn’t say anything.

Judy Inhaled sharply, upset to see her friend and partner in such a sorry state. “Come on Nick, its complicated! I just wouldn’t be able to do it, and you know moping about it isn’t going to change my answer.” she said curtly, arms crossed in indignation as the two amble around the next street corner.

Nick stopped walking immediately after hearing this. The abrupt and deliberate manner with which he ceased all movement, freezing in place, made Judy flinch. _Was he really that mad at her?_ The russet toned fox lazily turns his head to the side, refraining from actually making eye contact. His eye lids half closed and a cocky smirk on his face, as if to say he doesn’t care.

“Listen Carrots, I can’t make you love me. I get that. It really wasn’t that big of a deal to begin with. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Okay?” he said to his rabbit partner, chuckling as if his recent confession of love to her was too petty to warrant serious discussion.

With that the fox continued on his way, each footstep as he walked farther away from her appearing as though it physically pained him. Judy couldn’t help but stare at the fox as he made his way down the bustling streets, her mouth slightly agape and her ears pressed against the back of her head. Nick made it clear that her rejection of him wasn’t personal, that he didn’t care, but something in the back of her mind led her to feel that he was just putting up a front. She continued to stare at her partner, wishing he would turn around and see her there; worried for his wellbeing. He didn’t look back.

…

Judy, now doomed to walk back to her apartment alone, decided to forego the process all together and sit down on a nearby park bench.

Exasperated with her partner’s immature behavior, the bunny leaned her head against the back rest.

The Rabbit then closed her eyes.                                                                                                               

Content to absorb the summer heat baring down on her now.

Maybe if she was lucky it would fry her brain and she wouldn’t be forced to think about her current predicament anymore.

Judy has argued with Nick before, and most of the time he would bounce back, acting as though it didn’t bother him. He would quickly shrug off her words and change the topic as quickly as possible.

If it did bother him, then his apathetic reputation would be tarnished.

“Not this time Wilde…” she thought to herself.

“I know that this bothers you a lot more then you want to admit, because it bothers me too.”

…

Hurriedly, Nick scampered up the stairs to his apartment and opened the door, rushing in and locking the door behind him before leaning up against it and sighing heavily.

Slowly he allows himself to slowly slide down the wooden door frame before finally reaching the floor.

The fox lets out a guttural moan accompanied by a lazy eye roll before repeatedly banging his head against his door. In response to the banging, he heard rapid knocking coming from the room adjacent to his. It was his neighbor, a high strung weasel who seemed to jump at every chance to quiet any noise coming from his fellow tenants in the apartment complex. Rolling his eyes again, this time slightly quicker and more out of annoyance then resignation to his situation, he sprawled himself out on the ground in front of his door, resting his head on the hardwood paneling of his room in defeat.

Is this really the most comfortable place to take a nap in self-pity? Nick looked around his small, claustrophobic room before deciding that it will do. His bed wouldn’t prove to be much more comfortable, as hard as it was, and the floor has the added benefit of not requiring him to stand up to get to it, because he was sort of already there. The entire apartment complex was somewhat shoddy, and it was unlikely that his neighbors had much more luck getting comfortable in their own rooms, so he thought it was best to stop pitying himself and just stare up at the wall, shoving all the intrusive thoughts that accumulated in his head as he walked home to the back of his mind. What a mistake that was. The roof was decrepit, holes perforating the entirety its entirety and mold covering whatever was left.

Well, that’s what he gets for buying an apartment for cheap.

Not that he had much of a choice, he had spent most of the money he had earned on duty as an officer on the shoddy little shack he currently resided in. As bad as it was, however, it beat the run down underside of the bridge that he was used to before he had joined the force. Judy had offered a spot for him on her couch, but he turned her down, unwilling to mooch off of her.

Judy…

…

The thought of the adorable bunny he had been so lucky to call his partner this past year immediately brought back the awful memory of today’s events as they walked out of the Z.P.D building. The two of them had just finished a case, and were on their way out when Nick stopped in the middle of the parking lot. He had wanted to say something to her for some time now, he just wasn’t sure how to say it. With the consistent crime fighting, friendly outings, and even the simple activities the two partook in together, such as texting into the wee hours of the night, well it may have resulted in him falling for her, more so then he would like to admit.

So there in the parking lot, the two stood. Judy almost seemed to know what he meant to ask her, as she stood there with a smile of slight discomfort resting upon her face. As he started speaking she quieted him slightly, putting her paw against his mouth.

“Might want to speak in hushed tones Nick, the others are right over there” the bunny spoke before gesturing slightly to their coworkers who had also just gotten off duty.

Nick smiled to himself, she wanted to keep things private. This wasn’t the sort of thing that needed to be professed in front of all of their friends, yet.

“Right, right….” the fox stammered, clearing his throat slightly, his right hind paw tapping tentatively on the asphalt of the parking lot.

“So?” Judy asked, her face expressionless save for the polite smile she wore on her lips.

“Well, I’m not usually one to ask this sort of thing, so stop me if this is a little too awkward fluff…”  
 the vulpine explained, losing his typical calm and collected demeanor.

For a moment Judy smirked, it was almost cute how the slick con-artist she had met in the ice cream shop all that time ago managed to fumble under pressure on occasion. Dumb fox….

“We’ve been through a lot, and I’ve begun to care about you…. more so then I do for most mammals. So, I was wondering if maybe you felt the same?” he said, trying his hardest to keep his nerve.

“Of course Nick! After everything we’ve been through how could I not feel the same?” Judy exclaimed with her paw reaching out to his, eagerly shouting her answer almost immediately after the fox finished his sentence.

Slightly caught off guard by her quick answer he continued. “Well, I was thinking, unless you had someone else in mind, that the two of us could take this whole thing to a higher level”. As he said this he brought his paw to his head to visually simulate “taking it to a higher level”, a smirk still sitting awkwardly on his face.

Judy’s eyes widened slightly at the implication of what he had just said. She placed her hands on her hip and cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to say what he had wanted to say.

“Mmmm, I’m not sure what I’m trying to get at anymore I…” Nick spoke indecisively, almost turning away.

“Wait, yes I am, I’m sure.”

“Carrots, you have been a real good friend to me. Would you do me the honors of being my girlfriend?”

Judy’s world stopped for a moment, her cheeks now burning up. Was that because of the heat of the summer afternoon or something else?

“I, I’m…. sorry Nick but I really can’t do that. I wish I could say yes, but I can’t.” the bunny squeaked out before turning her head.

“Oh, I get it, no problem.” the fox assured her before continuing to walk, his cheeks experiencing the same heat as his partners at the moment.

Judy stood there, dumb founded, before rushing to catch up to him

“You know that doesn’t mean we can’t stay friends though, or anything ridiculous like that?” the bunny asked.

“Oh yeah, don’t sweat it carrots” the red fox answered with a slight wink.

The pair walked on, not saying another word.

…

Nick continued to lay supine on his floor. He should have known that it would end up this way. Asking her in a parking lot? Nice move Romeo. Suddenly he felt the urge to bawl his eyes out like he was a fox kit again, but quickly stopped himself, refusing to stoop to such a childish level.

Determined to be an adult about this situation, Nicholas Wilde stood up, made his way to his bathroom, and vomited up his lunch instead of breaking out into frustrated sobbing. So at the very least he had that victory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a new day and yesterdays issues have been swept under the rug, but can the fox actually keep his emotions hidden?

The fox’s eyes tracked the soft drink as the vending machine slowly pushes it out of place, allowing it to fall into the open compartment with a satisfying * _THUNK*_. Nick gingerly reached into the opening and pulled out his refreshing beverage.

“You sure you don’t want anything Carrots? Supposed to get pretty hot today…” the fox asks, reaching into his wallet, waiting for his partner’s response.

He looked at her for a moment, expecting a response, but the rabbit seems lost in thought.

“Suit yourself” he says, placing his wallet in his back pocket before continuing on his way.

Judy noticed him walking away and snapped out of her daze in time to catch up to him. Nick turns to her as if he wanted to say something before noticing the countenance of her face. She seemed uneasy. Probably still thinking about yesterday.

The Bunny and fox continued on their way, still unable to speak a word to one another before Judy breaks the silence, the lack of communication with her partner weighing on her heart.

“You gotta understand, I can’t be with you, do you know what my family would think if they thought I was messing around with a… a fox?”  the bunny said, waving her hands around in desperation.

_Messing around with a fox?_

“I get it, I get it! Look Cotton Tail, there isn’t any reason to keep talking about this. I gave it a shot and I missed, that ain’t nobody’s fault. Let’s stop talking about it, forget about. Let bygones be bygones ya know?” he says, shaking his head and letting out a humorless chuckle.

A sigh escaped his bunny companion’s lips. “So are you sure we are good?”

“Just peachy” the fox says before continuing on his way.

His disinterested attitude in the conversation is clearly getting to the rabbit, leaving her stunned as he pushes open the doors to the Z.P.D building before turning around to hold it for her, a fake smile gracing his lips.

Judy hops slightly and stamps her feet in frustration and shouts at the fox who is currently hiding under a guise of forced apathy. “Nobody who is ‘just peachy’ would say that Nick!”.

“Look Judy, we have important work to do, we don’t have time for this. Put some pep in your step, I don’t wanna be fired because of you!” The fox shouts, losing his cool with his partner for a moment.

_Did he just call me Judy? He never calls me Judy….._ the small rabbit flinches at the mention of her actual name from the mouth of the fox who is usually all too eager to refer to her with “Carrots”, “Fluff Butt” or the ever demeaning “ Cutie Pie”.  Any other day she would be happy to hear it, but it touched her differently today, creating an odd void in her stomach as if something was missing.

Assuming he hurt her feelings when he raised his voice, the fox continued “Um, ya know. Buffalo Butt over there is already chomping at the bit to kick my fluffy tail out of here, so better not give him any reasons…” he waits for her to enter the building before allowing the door to swing itself shut again.

The two walk for a while in silence before Judy abruptly stops.

“Wait, since when did _you_ of all people care so much about work!”

The fox continues on his way, not looking back but giving her a slight shrug before smiling and nodding at Clawhauser before being waived by.

…

The pair take their place in their shared chair amongst their fellow officers as Chief Bogo steps up to begin giving assignments. The thought of getting a new case brightened Judy’s day a little. She prided herself in her willingness to take on any challenge presented to her, and it may just give the duo something to think about other than yesterday’s events. Nick was, at least on most days, less eager to receive an arduous case to work on, but would never make any complaints as long as he got to solve it with his partner. Well, perhaps he did complain sometimes, if not every time, but it was all in jest! At least that’s what he would like to make himself believe. Some days he was left wondering why he ever got involved in all of this “cop” business, but then he remembers a certain fluffy bunny he came across one day who seemed to be capable of pulling him into all kinds of things he doesn’t want to do.

Nick felt his cheeks warm slightly, thinking about the effect Judy has on him. Before her, he had never been so willing to do things outside of his comfort zone; regardless of who asked him to. When she came along, everything had changed for the better. He really was smitten with adoration when it came to Judy Hopps. He had tried numerous times in the past to decide exactly _why_ he was so enamored with this optimistic little rabbit. Perhaps it was because of the fact that, despite all of her positive traits, she wasn’t flawless, and he always recognized that he was far from perfect. He saw a piece of himself in a creature that was supposed to be his polar opposite. Or perhaps it was because she effectively saved his life. Before her, he was nothing but a trick and a thief. With her he found himself able to make a positive difference. When he was a child he desperately wanted to be a force for justice, the good little cub scout he was. Those dreams just got away from him as he grew older and learned the true ways of the world.

Nick closed his eyes, deep in thought, disregarding the assignments being given to the other mammals around them.

No, he had long since decided that he couldn’t really pin point the reason why he was so fond of Judy Hopps. It was spontaneous, she was nothing like he would expect from a love interest, and yet he seemed to have fallen quite hard over her regardless.

In the middle of his day dream he could hear “Officer Hopps” and “Officer Wilde” and thought to himself it might be a good idea to start paying attention. He decided against this however, resting his chin in his paws, eyes glossed over, reflecting on his feelings for his partner. Whenever he thought of her his stomach just seemed to clam up. When he used to hang around with other vixens, he never felt this way about them. They were all beautiful, wonderful and often kind mammals, but he never developed this sort of bond with them. He never found himself reserving space for them in the back of his mind. No, that was reserved for his Carrots, and apparently now was an appropriate time to fawn over her.

At least it was until he was snapped back into reality at the mention of what the case they were assigned to would be.

“We have had reports of a Lynx terrorizing seemingly random citizens in tundra town. Not much is known about the mammal, other than that fact that he goes by ‘Felix’. Regardless, whatever information we have on him will be readily made available to you. I trust you both are up to the case?”

Nick swallows hard, staring wide eyed at the chief, ears flattened against his head. He didn’t consider himself a racist mammal by any means, and he has known plenty of Lynxes throughout his life and they were nice, polite animals. But the idea of a particularly violent one set him on edge slightly. The lynx species was known for their acts of violence against foxes, and stereotypically did not get along with them very well. In civilized society, most Lynxes wouldn’t have any issue interacting with a fox, but one of Nicks most terrifying memories is of a run in he had with a less refined Lynx who had targeted him simply because he was a fox.

“Of course we can handle it!” he hears his partner exclaim, not missing a beat.

He turns his face, mortified expression and all towards Judy now; who looks at him with an eye brow raised.

“Excellent, dismissed”

…

Nick thumbs through the dossier on Felix. As they walked away after receiving their assignment, the fox attempted to assuage his own fears, thinking that perhaps “terrorize” had less violent connotations then he was aware. Perhaps the Lynx wasn’t very aggressive at all in that sense. Maybe he was just a thief. They are usually more scared of you then you are of them.

His attempts at calming himself were upset, however, when he finds the pictures of the felines brutalized victims. Felix wasn’t a murder, but he seemed to be a sadist. None of his victims had been killed, but they all were left in pretty rough shape after their encounter with the cat. It was rare for any animal in Zootopia to be this brutal and cold-blooded. Of course it had to be a Lynx.

Nick quickly realized that he was acting immature. Sure, before civilization had been established, a lynx would prey on a fox, but then a fox would also prey on a rabbit… Regardless, here he was, the foxy partner and best friend to a little bunny rabbit, fighting crime for a living. It seemed hypocritical of him to be afraid of this criminal solely because of his species.

Hypocritical or not, he _was_ afraid.

“Hey slick Nick, what’s up? Thought you were eager to get a case? You aren’t looking too hot.” Judy said, teasing him despite the tinge of concern in her eyes.

“I was! It’s just that… I don’t know. This guy just seems a little dangerous. Out of our league maybe?”

Judy took the dossier from her partner and flipped through it too decide what it was that was putting him on edge. It’s true that this guy was intimidating, but they have handled tougher criminals before. The bunny giggled slightly, “Aw, Nicky. Would it help if I let you hold my paw? Would that make you feel safe?” Immediately the bunny realized her poor choice of words considering what he must be feeling right now.

“Har Har, give me that!” the fox shouts, snatching the file out of her hands before rolling his eyes.

He pauses for a moment, looking her in the eyes, tapping his fingers on the manila folder containing the paper work. “Maybe you’re right, why _should_ I be afraid when I have such a tough, intimidating partner such as yourself” he says, patting her head before walking off, this time slowly enough for his partner to catch up.

Judy beamed for a moment before joining him. _She has her partner back._

_For now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick I would like to thank everyone for the support! Words can't express how nice it feels to see my dorky little story get a few Kudos: P. Sorry for the short length of these last two chapters, chapter three will be much longer!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two of the ZPD's smallest, least threatening animals arrive in the coldest district of Zootopia, intent on completing one of their most intimidating cases yet. But the fox doesn't seem all that invested, is something bothering the guy?

Squished into a train car together and on their way to Tundra Town, a bunny and a fox struggled to snag an hour or two of quiet nap time before they arrive in the snowy district and go about their job. Nick tossed and turned in place, putting his knees up against the seat in front of him before deciding it isn’t comfortable. He shifted to the right, turned to the left, curled up into a tight ball, all to no avail. Why did they have to take this particular train? How could anyone fit in these seats?

Judy, perfectly capable of fitting in the seats, found herself just as unable to drift to sleep as her partner. Mostly because he wouldn’t stop moving, shaking the seat the two shared and upsetting any progress she had made in slipping out of consciousness. She stared at the fox for a while, Nick being too preoccupied with finding a cozy position to notice the scowl on her face. The rabbit cop rolled her eyes before slamming her head back into the headrest, startling Nick.

“Can’t sleep either huh?” the fox asks.

Judy looks him in the eyes for a couple moments, restless and frustrated.

“Nope”

“Well that makes two of us” the fox replies before resuming his squirming.

On the outside, any mammal would read the bunny’s face and figure she would like to strangle her companion right now, but on the inside, Judy found herself slightly entertained by struggle the fox is currently putting up. They had hopped on a train primarily used for smaller prey animals, so it comes as no surprise that he isn’t satisfied with their seating arrangement. Though she would rather be sleeping right now, watching a frustrated Nick was almost… cute.

Maybe not that cute.

Judy sighed in resignation before closing her eyes and curling up next to Nick. She was too tired to respect any boundaries of personal space, and she knows the guy well enough to where she doubts he would be upset at her for cuddling up next to him. What are friends for? Almost immediately Nick stopped thrashing about. Judy, so close pressed up against the fox, could hear his heart beat slowing down slightly as if he is finally calming down.

_“I suppose he just gave up on trying to get comfortable”_ the bunny thought to herself.

Now that she thinks about it, this ride may not be so bad after all provided foxy over here just calms down and lets her get some shut eye. Judy turned slightly in an effort to bury her face in Nick’s shirt, eyes still firmly shut. Of course, as soon as she does this his heart beat picks up in pace once again and she can feel his body getting warmer.

“ _Great, he is working himself up again and is going to start moving again any minute now_ ” Judy muses.

_“Well, might as well enjoy the peace while it lasts”_

Unbeknownst to Judy, Nick was getting strange stares from the bunnies in the seats across from them. His expression seemed to be one of mixed horror and elation.

Nick quietly thanked the stars that his fur was already red and didn’t move a muscle till they reached Tundra town.

…

As the two hopped off the train Judy takes a moment to look around herself. It certainly was as beautiful as the last time she saw it. Something about the scenery of the entire district gave it a warm aesthetic, despite being one of the coldest places in Zootopia. Off in the distance, maybe half an hour’s walk from the train platform, cubs could be seen playing in the snow, sledding down the hills atop sleds, seemingly homemade, and finely crafted at that. The little rabbit never was much of one for playing in the snow, but seeing the kids running wild warmed her heart.

“Hey, that looks kinda fun” she said, turning back to look at her partner.

Nick was stretching, clearly still uncomfortable after their long, uncomfortable train ride. Across his mug was a slight frown, his eyes narrowed slightly as if he were upset for some reason.

“ _Hmm_ , what’s up sour puss? What’s the look for” she asks, mildly concerned. She had half expected him to be in a better mood now that he wasn’t confined to the claustrophobic space that the train provided.

“Sour puss? I am a fox for your information, not a cat. Also, what was the question?” he says, snout turned up in the air, pretending to be offended. He had been lost in his own thoughts moments ago before the bunny had spoken.

“It wasn’t a question, just an observation. Those bear cubs are sledding over there, and I thought it looked like fun”.

The fox straightened out his back, probably trying to work out a crook in his spine before shrugging his shoulders and looking out in the distance, the light snowfall making the cubs playing on the hills an almost picturesque scene.

“You know what, you’re right.”

“Whadaya say we give up on this case and join them?” the fox asks, already knowing the answer.

“Nick! Earlier today you were chomping at the bit to go take on a new case. What gives?” the bunny answers with a question of her own, not even taking the opportunity to castigate him.

The Reynard simply shrugs and looks away.

“Just feeling lazy lately I guess. Better get a move on. Don’t want to miss a chance to meet that Lynx. Felix, was it? Seems like a great guy.”

“Is this because of the guy we’re chasing? Because he’s a lynx right? Why does it even matter that he is a lynx? Are you prejudiced against Lynxes or something?” the pair begin walking as they talk, Judy recognizing the truth in Nick’s previous statement. Tundra Town is a large district, so they better start searching as soon as possible.

“I wouldn’t call it prejudice. It’s just that, in the past I had a few bad encounters with Lynxes, I’m just cautious is all.”

“Nick, that sounds like prejudice to me. Just because you have had bad encounters with a specific species in the past doesn’t mean you need to be distrustful of their entire race. Whatever that lynx had done to you in the past, it couldn’t have been bad enough to hate them all.” Judy reasoned.

For a few moments the two remained quiet, the only sound they could hear being the busy townsfolk, rushing in and out of shops and playing in the streets.

“He followed me home when I was a kit because I was a fox. Roughed my mom up pretty bad…” the fox said, breaking the silence. “Guess he had trailed me with the intention of attacking me, but when my mom stepped in-“ the fox’s voice trailed off.

“I don’t hate them _._ I wish I didn’t feel this way, I just do.”

Judy wrapped her paw around her own arm, ashamed at her poor choice of words.

“O…Oh”

“Well, this isn’t the same Lynx. Just, try not to let that get in your way here, okay Nick?” the bunny’s voice was quieter this time, less indignant.

“Okay Judy” the fox breathed out slightly after his last breath, the warm air he just expired become a thin vapor when released out into the chilly air of the snowy district they are now walking through.

…

For hours the pair walked the streets, asking around to see if anyone had caught a glimpse of the culprit. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, several mammals had. If anybody appeared to be in rough shape, then that was a pretty good indicator that they had encountered the Lynx. The problem was, all of them claimed to have been attacked in places all across Tundra town. By the looks of it, this illusive “Felix” character got around. Luckily, the threat of some brutal attacker had not gotten to too many of the locals yet, so the public was not afraid to go out and enjoy themselves despite the constant threat of an attack. _What was this cat’s modus operandi? When would he strike again?_ These thoughts swirled in Judy’s head. At least the attacks haven’t deferred any one from playing outside. As they walked through the streets, plenty of animals of all ages seem to be enjoying the snowy environment, creating a magical atmosphere amongst the place.

The rabbit looked back to her partner, who seemed to in deep thought himself.

“What’s up slick?” the rabbit was walking backwards in front of him now.

The fox rubbed his side slightly.

He mumbled, so Judy wasn’t really sure what he had said, but it sounded like “Just don’t like being teased I guess...”

“Huh?” the bunny asked, turning her head to the side slightly.

“What?! Nothing, I was just thinking to myself. Still tired from that trip.” He said fumbling over his words, adjusting his police issued blues.

His rabbit companion giggled into her paw before taking him by his tie and pulling him into a nearby restaurant.

“Maybe a nice break is all you need! Any idea what they have here?” the bunny asked, chipper as always.

The fox shrugged off his solemn attitude and put back on his cocky smirk. “

Well why don’t we go get a menu? Because I’m starved.”

…

Nick stretched his long, slender legs under the table the two share, almost kicking Judy in the process. She looked up from her menu and glanced at him slightly, his reply being communicated through his eyes, “sorry”, before going back to his own menu. It was never a good idea to interrupt Judy when she was about to eat.

Nick looked out the window and sighed wistfully.

It was dark now.

 They had been searching for hours and are no closer to finding this cat then they were when they got here. The fox shivered slightly, the sooner this case was over, the better. It just gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“See anything you like carrots?” he asks, trying to take his mind off of the case for at least a moment.

“The salad wrap sounds pretty good I guess. I don’t have a stomach full enough to be picky right now. What about yourself?” she asked, paw to her chin as if she was trying to decide if she _really_ did want the salad wrap.

Nick could help but watch her as she did so. Her nose twitching slightly as she pondered. That nose twitch kills the fox. How many mammals did he know that could make the simple act of ordering off of a menu as cute as she did. Her amethyst eyes eventually rose from the menu in front of her to meet his emerald ones.

“Hello? Earth to Nicky here?”

“What?” he asked, as if he was being accused of something.

“What can I get for you sir?” the waitress, a portly polar bear asked.

_Woah, when did she get here? How long had he been staring at Judy?_

“Oh, sorry. Can I get the Fried beetle meal?”

“Coming right up” was the only reply as the Menu was all but wrenched from his paws and the Waitress made her way to the Kitchen, slightly annoyed with the fox.

Judy waited for Nick to initiate conversation again as he usually did when they went out to lunch. All he did was caress his paws under the table as they waited for their food.

Eventually, there meals arrived and the need for conversation was swiftly brushed under the table for the next few minutes. Both mammals tore away at their respective meals, scarfing down as much as they could as quickly as they could. Judy had missed breakfast and Lunch earlier, and Nick was still feeling sick this morning after yesterday’s conversation. For just a little while, the Fox was able to think of something other than his phobia over the Lynx they were chasing. He just had this little slice of heaven in front of him and this delicious plate filled with fried beetles and other critters. The fox took a moment to stop eating and stare off into the distance, a content little grin placed upon his usually sly mug.

Judy couldn’t help but notice.

“Better, huh?”

“Yeah, guess you have your good ideas every now and then Carrots” he confessed, a sarcastic grin appearing on his face again.

Suddenly, the building across the street lit up with flashing, neon lights accompanied by the heart thumping bass of club music, pouring into the streets.

 Judy’s eyes lit up.

“Hey! Why don’t we dance off these calories we just earned! Come on!” she said, standing up in a hurry.

Nick, surprised by her proposition, stuffs his cheeks with the rest of his meal and stands, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his uniform.

“Nick! _Gross_ ” Judy scolded him.

“What!? What?” the fox fumbled around, confused, nearly choking on the food he still had stuffed in his mouth.

“Cheese and crackers…” she said, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping her partners face down.

“Such a child”.

And with that she took off across the street, leaving a dazed fox in her wake.

…

Mammals stomped and pranced to the music, making the entire building rumble. Judy almost immediately joined in on the festivities when they got inside.

_Weren’t they looking for somebody?_ Nick chose not to bring it up, happy to not be on the lookout for a dangerous criminal for once. He continued to just stand there with his paws in his pockets before Judy grabbed hold of them and took him for a spin. He forgot how much energy the little bunny had in her. She practically took them around the entire dance floor, hopping around to the music with a wide smile on her face. It was kinda adorable.

Hand in hand, waist to waist the animals grooved to the music, Nick occasionally lifting her up in the air, much to her amusement. The close contact with his partner created a dull kind of pain in his chest. This was beautiful, everything he could possibly want, but she just thought of it as having fun with her friend. Before yesterday, a night like this would end in him going to bed and cuddling with his pillow, his heads filled with thoughts of “she is _totally_ into me _”_ or “Tonight was _amazing_ , I need to pour my heart out to her tomorrow”. But instead, tonight he was made to face the facts that sometimes when people dance they are just having fun, no strings attached. In the end, he did love her, so that would be enough for him.

Time flew by as the two danced around the room for what was probably hours. Nick never was much of a dancer, so he just allowed himself to just go along with whatever dance moves Judy decided they were doing next and enjoyed it. After a while, he started to get a little tired, and told Judy he needed to sit outside for a moment and clear his head.

The refreshing night air of Tundra Town made him fill better almost immediately. He sat down on a nearby bench before realizing maybe he could just go back inside, but the shape of his favorite bunny exiting through those doors and sauntering over to him forced him back onto the bench.

“Well, glad to see I tired you out.” She said, taking a seat next to him.

“Me? No way, I have plenty of energy left in me.” He replied, offended that she would insinuate that he, one of the laziest mammals she knows, could be tired out by a roaring dance club.

“That so?”

The fox nods.

“Well, then how about we go for a walk”

…

The pair made their way down the dimly lit streets. Judy had wanted to go check out the spot where the kids were sledding earlier to see if any of them were still there. The wind chilled the animals bones as they walked, but Nick didn’t mind very much after being stuck in that one room with all those sweaty mammals, heating up the room to head ache inducing degrees. Judy on the other hand, shivered slightly as they walked, her teeth chattering.

Nick couldn’t just let her freeze her cute little tail off, so he opened up his police jacket and allowed her to slip in, huddling close for warmth.

Now cozy, the two continued walking down the path to the snow crested hills. They leaned against each other as they walked, gingerly taking in the sights of the city as they go. Judy couldn’t help but notice the smell of that bug Nick had just ate before they got out on his breath. She wasn’t a fan, but since it was Nick, she didn’t mind all that much. Mixed in with the bug smell however, was a much lighter, easier on the nose scent of blue berries.

Nick snapped her out of her reverie by pointing out that the cubs were, in fact, _still_ sledding. It should be past there curfew, but instead of talking to them the pair opt to sit on a nearby hill together and enjoy the view. Judy sits, snug in Nicks coat, braced up against his furry body. Content.

“They sure seem to be having a good time, almost wish they had gone home and maybe left a sled” the fox said.

Judy said nothing but just smiled. Up on the hill, they had a nice view of both the natural landscape and the town a short distance away. The stars above them helped illuminate the dark hill they were on, the artificial light of the other buildings picking up any of the slack left. She was thankful for this, because it allowed her to look her fox partner in the face and see most of his features. She looked up to him as he stared off into space, lost in thought again. _What is up with this fox lately?_ She wasn’t complaining all that much however, as he did look kinda handsome when he wore that solemn, thoughtful look. Still, she was concerned. What was wrong? _Could he still be upset about her rejection of him?_

“ _Oh”_ the bunny thought to herself.

Yes, it would likely take more than a day for someone to get over another mammal, so her constant displays of affection are probably just coming off as teasing…

But she couldn’t stop. She liked being close to him like this. She understood that she couldn’t be with him, but she still wanted to be close to him. She wanted to cuddle up to someone, feel their heartbeat next to her own, dance into the grim hours of the night with them, and she didn’t want to do that with anyone but Nick.

Despite this, she couldn’t be with him. She was a bunny and he was a fox. She was a police officer now, and he was a con just a little over a year ago! What would her parents think if she let him into her life like _that?_

_But on the other paw,_

What was Zootopia supposed to be? A place where anyone could be anything? She always admired it for that. Who was to say that predator and prey couldn’t be in love if anyone could be anything? And he wasn’t a con anymore. Now he is her partner, and she is snuggling up next to him. Would she be in this situation, climbing all over him if she didn’t trust him.

_Well…_

She doesn’t really have time for love anyways. She is a very busy bunny, and getting involved with Nick would only cause her problems, _right?_ Laughing so hard they cried, kissing him every time the two met, kissing him every time they separated to go about their business. Cooking him meals, romantic candle lit dinners. Too gaudy. It all seemed like a lot of work...

“Nick?” the bunny spoke, raising her head up to look him in the eye.

The fox said nothing, simply looking down at the bunny swaddled in his jacket next to him with a puzzled gaze.

“Maybe I-“

She was immediately cut off when one of the cubs came a little too close to the couple, showering them in snow and dirt as he swerved to miss them.

The two ducked, now covered in the debris.

“Good thing I’m prepared for this sort of thing” the bunny said with a chuckle.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a few wipes and handed one to Nick, allowing the pair to brush off anything that may have gotten on their uniforms.

“Wait, do I have anything on my ear?” the bunny asks, trying to twist the long ear in a way which would allow her to see for herself.

The fox looked at her for a moment before nodding, taking a wipe and clearing off her ears, her cheek cupped in his paw so that he could turn her slightly and get a better angle.

After he finished cleaning her up he set the wipe off to the side. Judy looked at it for a moment, and though it was hard to tell do to the darkness that engulfed them, it almost looked like it was still clean. The two locked eyes for a moment, before bursting into a fit of laughter. This entire thing was stupid, they were supposed to be tracking down a dangerous criminal, but instead they were taking a break on a hill in the middle of the night. They were tired, which probably contributed to the comedy of the situation. Judy buried her face in his shirt, but was a bit too forceful, sending the pair rolling down the snowy hill. This seemed to only make their laughter more vigorous however, warming them despite the fact that they were now lying in the freezing snow together. Dumb bunny, dumb fox.

…

The two lay there for a while, lost in the world, the previous events of the day melding together in a haze. The children had all gone home by now. In the complete silence of the night, Judy realized that maybe she does have enough time for nick.

Nothing lasts forever. Cries of pain could be heard coming from the outskirts of town. Immediately the rabbit hopped up, brushing herself off.

“Get up Nick!” she shouted under her breath.

“Really? I was just beginning to enjoy our stay here…” he mumbled, standing up and wiping off the excess dirt and snow left on him after the roll down the hill.

“I heard screams, think it could be our guy?” she asks.

“Geez, uh, I hope not?”

The bunny ignored his last comment as she took off, chasing the noise. Nick sped off after her.

…

A single lantern is the only thing that illuminates the clearing in which the Lynx sits, baseball bat in hand, a pig laying in the snow before him, softly whispering:

“Why?..  Why? _Why?”_

_“_ Don’t take it personal, but I just gotta do what I gotta do” the feline said before standing up and taking another swing at the boar. “You’ve brought this upon yourself, ya know.”

The predator circled round his victim, occasionally taking swings at the other mammal, some connecting, some missing as if intended to scare the pig. His entire demeanor was cold and nonchalant. For committing a crime, he didn’t appear to be very invested in the act.

The pig, now laying beaten and bloodied on the floor, tough when he first caught the Lynx’s eye, but he quickly proved himself be just another disappointment. Nothing was special about this, there wasn’t any chemistry between the two of them. He would eventually get bored and leave the poor guy alone, but he needed to take out his frustrations somehow. Maybe he would be less inclined to beat him with a bat if he had actually tried to put up a fight instead of curling up into a fetal position

He needed someone braver

_Someone like_

From the clearing a small bunny could be seen, tranquilizer drawn and tired fox companion in tow.

“Drop the weapon buddy, we won’t be needing that” she spoke, confident.

_Her_

The Lynx locked eyes with her.

“No one else needs to get hurt Felix” her tone of voice was soothing, trying to diffuse the situation.

“That _is_ your name right?.”

Felix held onto the bat, his grip only tightening, his stare intensifying.

Nick didn’t like the way he was looking at her, this just didn’t feel right. His hands trembled slightly as he tried to steady the tranquilizer on the non-moving mammal in front of him. He told himself it was just the cold.

Realizing that this was going nowhere, Judy took a shot at the Lynx, dropping him in the snow. The hero cop wore a disappointed expression on her face. She hated doing that, she always feels the urge to apologize after watching her target fall back on the floor. That can’t be comfortable.

The two made their way over to the pig and helped him up. Nicks fumbling paws undoing his bindings with only the light of that lantern The boar slowly stood up, still dizzy from the blows to the head but otherwise in better condition than most of the Lynx’s victims. Nick helped the citizen over to a nearby rock, not the most comfortable place to be, but it beats laying on the ground in a pool of your own blood.

In his state of shock the pig began blubbering about tonight’s events, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I was making my way home when he caught up to me. He acted like he wanted to sell me something…” the pig looked down, ashamed.

Nick and Judy stole a glance at one another, a sigh escaping the rabbit’s cold little nose.

 He led me to the nearest alley way and let me step in first…he cornered me! How could I not have realized. I just wanted to get a little something to wind down with at home, that’s all!” he explains, Judy closing her eyes and nodding.

“Once I walked into the alley…I…I realized something wasn’t right, but he wouldn’t let me leave. He challenged me to a fight. I mean, I’m a big guy, but I’m a lover not a fighter… I was so scared.” The pigs smooth face was wet with his own tears now.

“Man, I probably sound like a wimp, but I just didn’t know what to do. I’ve never been in this situation before.” Nick tried to keep a resolute expression on his face, but he couldn’t help but fear that he wouldn’t have acted much differently had he been in the pig’s position.

“When he knocked me down, I stayed down, I just couldn’t fight back, I didn’t want to make him angry. But I did-” the pig stopped for a moment to wipe his bleeding forehead with his coat sleeve, it was getting in his eyes.

“He knocked me out and when I came too I was here.”

“I couldn’t call for help, I didn’t think anybody would ever find me, if you two hadn’t shown up I-…” the pig’s eyes widened in horror, unable to finish his sentence, presumably because of the horrifying thought of what could have happened to him.

“You’re going to be fine sir, why don’t we get you back into town?” Judy consoled the wounded mammal, reaching a paw out to his shoulder.

The pig slowly raised his hoof to point behind the duo, revealing the true reason for his terrified expression. Felix had stood himself back up, holding the dart in his hand. The two officers stared in awe, _How?_ He must have stuffed that hoodie with something, whatever it was, it was enough to stop the tranquilizer dart.

Before any of them could react he quickly turned tail to run off into the nearby dense forest.

“Wait!” Judy shouted, chasing after him.

Nick wanted to follow her, he wanted to so bad, but he just couldn’t move his legs. What would happen if the Lynx attacked him? The thought horrified him. He stared off into the forest, looking in abject horror at the thought of what could await him amongst those trees.

Judy had gone.

Nick took off sprinting into the woods, leaving the previous victim behind.

…

Judy zipped through the branches, her agility proving an important aspect of keeping up with the illusive cat. Or at least she assumed she was keeping up with him, she couldn’t really see him in this lighting. She glanced back to see if Nick was with her, he wasn’t. Where was he? She needed his nocturnal vision for this, the Lynx could veer off at any point here and she would be none the wiser!

Her point was proven true when a swift kick from her side knocked her off her feet and into a nearby tree, dazing her. Her head pounding, she could do nothing to fight off the Lynx who cradled her in his arms and took off running with her.

…

Several yards back a fox could see his bunny being stolen away by his worst nightmare. Part of him wanted to stop, turn around and scamper off.

He was scared out of his wits

But he was still going to get Judy back. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter, his feet would not stop, and so he continued, indulging himself of a game of “cat and mouse” with a mammal that has haunted his dreams for far too long. He was scared, but heaven helps the fox who fights his fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a bit more angsty, hope you guys don't mind!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He should have stayed by her side. What if he was too late to help her now? Who would save his rabbit now? All these thoughts streamed through his mind as he ran amongst the trees. Never did the thought occur to him, however, that the bunny was perfectly capable of handling herself.

Deep in the pine forests on the outskirts of Tundra Town, far away from anybody who could hear any desperate cries for help, a fox ran on all fours, nimbly navigating the distorted tree trunks that pose as obstacles between him and his partner. The chilly wind wailed through the trees alongside him, carrying with it a frigid yet earthy scent as it went.

Nick ran, paying no mind to the briars which stuck to his fur or the crunchy ice beneath his paws. If only he could be as stealthy as the creature in front of him. It seemed that with each step another branch could be heard snapping underpaw. He simply couldn’t keep up with his rival. The sound of the Lynx’s feet shuffling through the detritus of the forest floor grew distant with each passing moment. Why couldn’t he catch up? More importantly, why hadn’t he gone with Judy in the first place?

He could no longer see the Lynx, but he ran on anyways. Eventually the cat ahead of him had to tire out, and he had no intention of giving up before he knew his partner, his best friend, was safe.

Wait, did he turn here before? Maybe he should turn right at this tree. The fox thought that he could make out the faint shape of the cat running off in the other direction, so he turned on his heel and gave chase. This must have been the sixth time he circled round this trunk tonight! Was he…lost? _This was all his fault._ He let his fear get the better of him and acted too late. Now his partner is going to pay the price for it. He had thought he loved her, but if he really did, would he have ever hesitated?

…

Judy awakes, slumped up against a tree, to the grisly visage of her captor sitting on a stump several feet away from her. Eyeing him intently she checks for her tranquilizer, only to find that it was, of course, gone. She stands, watching the predator across from her rise as she did.

“Why?” was the only question she could muster.

The large cat’s face evolved into a look of confusion.

“Why what?” he said, eyeing her expectantly.

Something seemed off about this Lynx, and it made Judy’s blood curdle.

“Why didn’t you tie me down… or…or something?” she said, almost choking on the words as she spoke them.

The Lynx frowned before turning from her and walking off slightly, apparently trusting she wouldn’t just run away. She didn’t, now more curious then anything.

“Well, then the next part wouldn’t be as fun”

The lynx extended his claws and stood as if he was ready to pounce.

_What? He wants a fight?_

The lynx wore a satisfied smile with a glint in his eye that told her he was challenging her to make the first move.

_Well, I guess I can’t disappoint._

Judy raised her paws to her face, ready for whatever this cat had in store for her, and took a step forward.

Almost immediately the other animal pounced at her, swiping viciously with his well-honed claws. Swipe left, swipe up, swipe down, swipe right. Judy did her best to avoid his reach, keeping herself a safe distance from her opponent. She couldn’t, however, avoid the occasional glancing blow he would land, rending her uniform slightly.

_Those claws are sharp_

Hoping to end this quickly, the rabbit cop hopped up into the air and landed an unexpected kick to the cat’s face, forcing him back and leaving him with a dull headache. The villain persisted, however, and she was forced to once again avoid his nasty assault. He attacked her with such vigor, you would think he had a personal issue with her, but she never met the mammal until today.

A quick jab to her chest sent the comparatively small rabbit hurtling backwards. After tumbling across the ground Judy got back up on two feet.

“Wait!” she shouted, hands raised in an attempt to ward off the Lynx.

“What is this? What are you getting out of this?” she asked him as he slowly walked over to the stationary bunny.

“Why?! Do you enjoy hurting other animals? Why?”

Her aggressor wouldn’t stop his slow but deliberate march towards her.

“I’m just a really competitive person I guess. You can’t find a more intense competition then hand to hand combat.” the lynx flippantly explained, rolling his eyes. It was as if Judy’s question was silly.

Judy, analyzing his words, failed to notice how close he was now, allowing him to grab hold of her leg.

The rabbit grasped for whatever she could find on the forest floor, frantically trying to stay on the ground, and by some stroke of luck was able to wiggle out of his grasp and bolt several feet away from her tormentor.

“Competition? You were brutally beating that pig back there, sounds like poor sportsmanship to me buddy.” She said, this time walking slowly away from him as he stepped cautiously towards her.

“It’s not like I didn’t give him a chance. He wouldn’t fight me, so I tied him up and showed him what happens to people who don’t fight.”

Judy flinched at his words, there was something almost sad about her tone of voice.

“Look, we don’t need to do this. When my partner catches up, you are going to be out-numbered and it could get ugly for you, please… cooperate.”

“The fox? He didn’t even make an attempt to follow me”

“He was right behind us.” Judy grunted at him, insulted that the Lynx would imply that Nick wasn’t a loyal partner.”

“No, he wasn’t. Besides, I don’t think you are in any position to make threats right now.” The lynx spoke, continuing to advance towards her.

“Felix, that’s your name right?” the rabbit spoke his name, causing the Lynx to pause for a moment.

“Look Felix, you can stop this right now, this is the last time I’m going to tell you, just come quietly. We can work something out.”

“No, I can’t stop, to be honest” the lynx said as he charged at the bunny again.

Considering how violently he had attacked her before, she had expected him to be tired out by now, but he wouldn’t relent, slashing at her with just as much energy as before. The rabbit weaved herself in between the savage rakes of his claws and kicked him in the chest, feeling the spongy material he had stuffed down his hooded sweatshirt. It suddenly became clear what he was wearing underneath his clothes. He had a protective vest, probably taken from some martial arts class. Apparently it was thick enough to stop her dart, so it was unlikely that she would make much progress attacking his body.

Sweeping low the rabbit knocked her opponent off of his feet, pulling out her pawcuffs in an attempt to subdue him, but something changed in him. As the cuffs came out, his eyes widened in horror. No longer content to play his own game, the lynx kicked Judy over before she had even begun to cuff him and took off into the forest.

She had him on the run now, she was the pursuer once again. Placing her cuffs back on her belt, she ran into the woods after him.

…

Yeah…. Yeah, he was pretty lost now. Nick’s eyes darted in all directions as he made his way throughout the forest, quietly calling out to his partner. Where had he taken her? What if he was right next to them and he didn’t even notice? How was he _ever_ supposed to find her in a forest this dense in the middle of the night? With every step he took the guilt of failing her weighed heavily on his spirit. He resisted the urge to call out, uncertain of who might reply if he did.

If he could just see her again he would drop this whole romantic act. He just wanted his friend back, it didn’t matter anymore how she felt about him. He knew how he felt about her, he loved her. He had to save her but where was she? He caused this.

If he called out to her, then there was a good chance that the Lynx would hear him as well.  But wasn’t that what he wanted? Wasn’t that animal he was chasing?

Swallowing hard, Nicks opened his out, only for a pathetic voice crack to escape. Resolute in his decision, he swallowed his nerves and called out:

“Judy!?”

…

Where _was_ Nick? He had to have been right behind her this entire time. _Wait_ , before she had been knocked out she had looked back and he hadn’t been anywhere in sight. Did he really _abandon_ her? Her sprint slowed to a slight jog before remembering what she realized as they sat together on the hill. She had been awfully clingy with the fox all day. He had just confessed his love to her yesterday afternoon, and she rejected him.

She slowed down to a complete stop before falling down to her knees, mostly due to exhaustion. She wouldn’t have curled up next to somebody on a snowy hill under the stars if she had just thought of him as a friend.

Judy stood up again and began running back the way she came through the forest. If she could just find that clearing again, she could tell him. Tell him she’s sorry. She teased him, played with his emotions. He laid his heart out for her and she didn’t treat it with respect.

“Oh Nick…” she whispered to herself.

“Judy!?”

The rabbit looked towards the call.

“Nick!?”

…

“Judy!?”

“Nick!?”

“ _Judy!?”_

The fox, hearing his partner call his name, began sprinting again, this time with a clear destination in mind. In the velvet darkness of the night, the two followed the lovely sound of the other’s voice, frantically trying to find each other.

Unable to see very well at night, Judy had made a hard left turn past one of the trees and bumped into Nick.

“Oof, sorry…sorry.” The rabbit said, winded from slamming up against the larger animal.

“Judy! Are you alright!?” the fox stammered out, still trying to catch his breath. “What happened?”

Judy grasped her fox in a tight hug, warming the pair as they stood amidst the bone chilling atmosphere.

“What do you take me for, some kind of damsel?” she answered, a proud smirk on her exhausted face.

“You? Nah, I was just trying to catch up so I could watch you kick his tail is all.” The Fox wore a similar smile, patting her head as she leaned against his chest.

Realizing how close she was to him, she pulled away, looking up in guilt as she did so.

…

The pair sat down on the forest floor, a welcome rest after the chase. They had been running through these pine trees for ages now, and in the end it seemed to be all for nothing. They had Felix within their grasp, but he was probably long gone by now.

Exhausted, they lay back on the snowy forest floor. The refreshing scent of the pine forest clearing their heads.

“Nick?”

“What’s up?”

The rabbit closed her eyes and leaned back further into the snow, as if she was trying to burrow underneath the white blanket to avoid the impending tension.

“I’m sorry about today.”

The fox sat up and turned to his partner.

“What for? I mean we saved the pig back there, and you got away-“he paused for a moment to examine the claw marks streaking across her uniform with a frown, “relatively unscathed… I’d call this a pretty good day.” The fox wore a supportive smile as he spoke, worsening Judy’s feelings of guilt.

“I… I haven’t been a very good friend Nick.” She said, almost choking up.

“What’s this about?” he asks, ears perked up, concern overtaking his usual apathetic demeanor.

“I couldn’t make up my mind, and I hurt you.” Judy brought her paws to her face and sighed. “I just wanted things to go back to the way they were.

Nicks iconic smile quickly found its way back onto his face.

“Ah, don’t worry about that fluff butt. I’ve come to terms with everything” the fox scratched at his chin as he spoke. “You’ve done a lot for me, so I guess it doesn’t really matter if you feel anything for me.” The fox leaned in towards the bunny slightly, chuckling softly, “As long as you’re by my side, I think I’ll be just fine.”

“Besides, I decided that you were right, maybe it would be a little weird for a fox and a bunny to ‘mess around’ like that.”

“But Nick” Judy said, leaning in towards him till their faces were nearly touching.

The fox nods, looking her in the eyes, demonstrating that she has his full attention.

“I do love you”

The fox pulled away. “Well I love you too carrots, you know that. I’m not gonna let this get between us, scouts honor.” The fox put one paw over his heart and raised the other in the air as he spoke. This was supposed to be a comedic gesture, played for laughs on his part, but one did not have to look hard to see the pain in his eyes.

Judy smashed her paws into the snow out of frustration.

“No, that’s not it either! I mean I’ve fallen in love with you! Judy said, eyes red and slightly puffy. “I wanted to make myself believe I didn’t because it would be easier, but I can’t stop thinking about yesterday! I want us to come home to the same apartment. I want to be able to sleep next to you every night. I want to lay with you all tangled together on the couch, watching foreign movies late into the morning on our off days!” she made hand gestures to illustrate as she spoke.

“I thought I didn’t, or maybe that I shouldn’t. But I wouldn’t… _couldn’t_ , want this with any other mammal, rabbit or not.”

Nick had been staring down at the earth beneath them throughout the entirety of Judy’s speech, and what the rabbit saw when he finally looked up broke her heart.

“Ca-Carrots… You don’t need to do that.” He said, raising a paw to wipe away the stream of tears running down his face.

“Nick!” Judy almost shouted at the fox.

“I don’t want to be a pity date, o-…okay?” the fox fumbled over his words. “Can we just move past this?” he whined, rubbing his face with his paws.

“Geez, I don’t usually get this emotional, this is stupid. Sorry fluff” the canine stood up and walked a couple of feet away, sniffling, paws still covering his wet, russet toned face.

“You know, I was fine a minute ago…”

Judy’s expression had warped to match Nicks now, and her now tear streaked face matched her partners.

“Nick, I’ve been a bad, bad mammal. I’ve been a horrible friend. But I swear on my life, I’m not saying this because I pity you, I’m just a dumb bunny who doesn’t know what she wants.”

Judy let herself fall back into the snow again.

“Didn’t. Didn’t know what she wanted.” She whispered softly.

Nick slowly walked over to her, looking as if he carried the weight of the world on his aching shoulders. He fell back next to her, both animals left looking up at the sky.

They were quiet for a moment, both of their visages baring the same physically and emotionally tired expression.

The world just seemed to melt around them for a moment, and Judy felt her mind go numb. Reality seemed like a trance for a moment, as if she had been dreaming. The mental strain of these last few days was killing her.

The snowflakes, cold and sharp bit at her nose, resting on her whiskers in all their dark, silvery glory. The wind kissing her cheeks. The snow beneath her bit at her heels like a wolf with icy, sharp teeth. In the distance she could barely make out a yellow cone of light through the tree tops. Could she ever make it up to Nick? _Would he ever look at her the same?_

Decades passed. She swore the seasons changed before them as they gazed up at the still, unfluctuating night sky.

All while they rested on the cold, unforgiving forest floor.

“…Yeah, you were a pretty bad friend, huh? The fox’s still sniffly voice broke through her dream like state. As he spoke, a slight chuckle escaped his lips, eyes dried up, unable to cry anymore.

But Judy still had plenty of crying left in her. As she chuckled at his friendly insult warm tears continued to pool in her eyes.

“Yeah, I…I sure do suck, don’t I?” she said, a dopey smile overtaking her face.

“ _Sure do_ , cotton tail” Nick assured her, the corners of his lips rising into a smile.

The two lay there, laughing as if Nick had just told the best joke either of them had heard all month.

When the laughter died down, Nick turned his head to face her again.

“Hey, did you mean what you said. Ya know, about the foreign movies.”

Judy turned onto her side, propping her head up with her paws.

“Why, got something in mind… slick?” she said, trying to be as playful as possible with her blood shot eyes and drippy nose.

Nick propped himself up so that their faces could meet.

“I might”

Nick leaned in to plant a kiss on the bunny’s forehead, holding his lips there for a while before retracting.

Judy, never one to be out done, slid in closer and kissed him on his lips for a moment, curling up closer to the fox as their mouths parted.

Nothing was said for a moment.

The fox cleared his throat.

“Um, was it, like…ok?” he whispered to her.

Her answer came as a series of kisses all over his wet, cold, _sloppy_ mug.

Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled the bunny in even closer, resting his chin on her forehead, tail draped over her.

…

“Hmm” the fox sighed audibly, shifting around. “You know, call me crazy but maybe this isn’t the best place to be doing this kind of thing. Want to head back in to town for now, the cat can wait.”

“Oh, right.” Judy said, untangling herself from him and wiping her runny nose with one ear.

“Judy!” the fox shouted in a hushed tone.

The rabbit looked up at him, one eyebrow raised.

“ _Gross!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, that was a somewhat intense chapter and I can't say I am entirely satisfied with the way it turned out. The next one will be a little bit more light-hearted before jumping back into the angst, so stay tuned!
> 
> I was strongly considering giving the lynx a longer solo section of this chapter to develop his backstory, but I decided against it. He is an oc, only here as a tool to further develop the lead character's relationship/partnership, so i'll just stick to giving little hints about what exactly makes him tick (so that he doesn't come off as too one dimensional of a character) instead of slapping you all in the face with it. Hope i'm making the right decision here :).


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day brings with it a renewed partnership, another opportunity, and an old friend.

Nicholas Wilde groggily opened one eye, the bright, early morning sun irritating him as it pierced through the motel window.

_How long had he slept?_

Couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours, he and Judy had been out late last night and they had an early day today. His one opened eye scanned the room until it fell upon the alarm clock on the bedside table.

5:30          

If only he could just get a few more minutes of sleep…

“Morning” a voice whispered to him in a hoarse tone, it’s owners face pressed up against his furry chest.

 _“No dice”_ the fox thought, a smile gracing his lips.

Small paws clumsily found their way around his waist despite the rabbit still very much being in the haze that sleep had brought upon her.

“Ya know, I could get used to this, you’re pretty warm.”

“Ah, is that what this was about, my ‘whittle wabbit’ was cold?” he taunted her, to which she replied with a playful slap to his chest.

“…You know we could just stay in bed for a little while longer.” Nick assured his partner, brushing her ears back tenderly.

Judy raised her head from his chest, ears rising up to indicate that she was regaining some of her energy.

“No, we really can’t” the rabbit mocked, kissing her companion on the side of the mouth.

Judy wiggled her way out his grasp, hopping from the bed and grabbing her clothes off of the nearby chair. Nick watched as she quickly threw her clothes back on, tidying herself up to look presentable.

By the time she was putting on her vest, the fox had just begun to sit up in bed.

…

Immediately after stepping out the door the chilly air struck the rabbit, making her entire body shiver. She had grown fond of the heated interior of the motel room.

Now back in reality, frosted over after the last night’s heavy snowfall.

If this was Tundra Town in the summer, she didn’t want to know what it was like when winter came along.

Nick rubbed his eyes slightly and cleared his throat.

“ _So_ , where do we even begin?” the fox thought aloud.

“I mean, it was by complete accident we found him last time” he said, looking at her as the two began walking down the snowy streets.

“Well, we can’t very well just wait for the guy to attack someone again. I called the nurse we met with when we took the pig in last night. He was roughed up worse than I thought.”

“Yeah, can’t have that happen to anybody else…” Nick answered her, his tone of voice betraying the fear he felt when thinking about the Lynx.

Judy looked down at her feet as they walked, deep in thought, her ears drooped to the sides of her head.

“You know Nick, I’ll protect you from him, right? You don’t need to be afraid when were together-“ the bunny was cut off when she took a step off of the sidewalk into the white road. Immediately she sunk into the snow up to her ears. Comically, her paw poked through the snow, wiggling her fingers expectantly.

Nick grabbed the paw and easily pulled her out, carrying her bridal style as he walked across the street.

“You know what carrots, you’re right, that does make me feel a lot better.” Cuddling her to his chest as he did.

…

The rabbit sat outside at the café near the old motel in tundra town, chin resting in his paws as he stared into his coffee cup.

“Where did I go wrong” the rabbit thought to himself, rapping his paws across the table.

He had been in tundra town investigating a jewel smuggling operation for the past week, and when he thought that he was finally onto something, the trail went cold.

The rabbit closed his eyes and brought his coffee cup up to his mouth to sip gingerly, swishing it around in his mouth, still running the case details through his head.

His concentration was broken, however, when he opened his eyes to an interesting sight.

He watched as Nick Wilde carried Judy Hopps across the street. Almost choking on his coffee he called them over.

“Hey! Could I interest you two in a coffee this fine morning?”

Nick’s already toothy smile widened when he saw the rabbit. He hurried over still carrying his lover in his arms.

Jack pulled out a chair, allowing Nick to set the blushing Judy down before pulling his own out and taking his place at the café table.

“Savage!” Nick shouted under his breath, “What brings you here buddy?”

The rabbits smile slowly morphed into a frown.

“Well, I’m working on my own case, same as you guys, but the trail kinda went cold” he said, swirling his coffee around in his cup with his stick.

“Can we ask what this is about, Jack?” Judy spoke up, calming down after her frustrating experience in the snow.

“Well, I’m not really at liberty to say.”

An antelope waitress trudged up to the three officers.

“Can I get you two anything?” she asked, clearly not a morning mammal.

Not wanting to disturb her too much, Nick smiled.

“We’ll have what he’s having”, he turned to Judy, “If that’s ok with you?”

“Please!” the rabbit said, a grin on her face.

The waitresses, realizing these particular customers weren’t going to be a nuisance this early in the morning, smiled politely

“I’d be obliged”

…

The three sat around the table for a while, catching up. Laughing amongst themselves.

“You know guys, I gotta address the elephant in the room” Jack broke the previously playful banter the group had established.

“Ya, and what would that be?” Judy was smirking, fairly certain she knew what it was.

“Well, you were snuggled up real close in Nick’s arms just a little while ago. I mean, I know that you two are good friends. Correct me if I’m wrong, but most friends don’t cradle one another as they walk across the street.” Jack took another sip of his coffee, as if to say _“But that’s none of my business”_.

“The snow was just really deep there!” Judy cried out, before gently kicking the cackling Nick under the table.

“A guy can’t carry his gal across the street every once and a while?” he said, kicking her back.

Jack nearly dropped his cup.

“You mean…really?!” he asked, a childish smile overtaking the usually stoic rabbits face.

Judy kicked Nick again before speaking.

“Regrettably!” the female bunny rabbit said, looking Nick in the eyes in adoration.

“How!?” Jack asked, nearly rising out of his seat.

“Sorry Savage, not at liberty to say” Nick said, relishing the chance to throw the other rabbits words back in his face. “Hey Carrots we oughta get a move on, crime stops for no one” the fox muses, winking at the male rabbit as he rose from his chair.

“Thanks for the coffee Jack, good luck with the case!” Judy said, downing the last sip before leaving with her fox.

Once the two get out of sight Jack scrambled to pull his phone out of his Pocket, pulling up Clawhauser’s number.

“Jack? What’s up?” the voice on the other line inquired

“Ben, _it finally happened_ ”

“What? What are you talking about…oh…. _oh_ … _oh!_ ” the cheetah stammered. By the tone of his voice Jack could tell that he was nearly as excited as he had first been.

“ _I know!”_

_“Oh Jack, wait till the others hear about this.”_

…

Half way down the street Nick stopped abruptly and turned to Judy

“Hey, that waitress was really good, and she looked like she was having a bad day, think we should go pack and tip her?”

“I’m sure Jack will pay her a decent tip” Judy replied, about to continue on her way.

“I’m gonna go tip her.”

Judy smiled as the two turned around, there was no stopping this fox.

…

Jack was no longer at the table he had previously been at, guess he moved on. Nick walked into the café alone, intent on giving the antelope her tip and continuing on his way. He spotted her across the room and waited for a moment where she wasn’t quite as busy. _Why did so many mammals come here at six in the morning?_

“Oh- That…that’s very kind of you sir” the antelope said, her eyes watery and red.

Noticing that something was wrong, Nick asked her to take a seat with him. His ears laid flat on his head, gazing his sympathetic gaze at her.

“Is something wrong ma’am?”

The antelope shook her head, clearly almost in tears.

“Wait… You are a police officer, right?”

Nick took a moment to look down at his police blues before nodding his head, avoiding the chance to make a snarky remark about how, yes, clearly he was a cop.

The antelope looked down at her hooves, choosing her next words carefully.

“My boy, he’s caught up in something, I haven’t seen him in a few days. I was too scared to go to the police, I- I don’t know what I’d do if he were to get hurt. I… I don’t know what to do anyways!”

Nicks expression grizzled, upset with himself that he had almost criticized this women for asking silly questions. Clearly she had a lot on her mind.

“Well, my partner and I are already working on a case, but we would be happy to help wherever we can”

The antelope nodded her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Can I ask what it is exactly that he’s got himself into?”

The waitress swallowed hard before answering.

“He wouldn’t stop hanging around the cat, I knew he was trouble. The mammal was his old karate teacher, but his hall was shut down after he attacked a student. I told him to stay away. I…”

Nick waited for her to continue, his expression softening as time went on.

“I don’t know where he is. I couldn’t find the lynx to ask, I can’t find either of them…”

One of Nick’s ears perked up slightly at the mention of the lynx.

“Well, ma’am, can I get this lynx’s name?”

“Felix”

Nick startled the antelope as he stood up out of the booth they had been sitting at.

“Wait right here, I’m going to go get my partner.”

…

“So, you knew this cat was going around attacking civilians, but you didn’t say a word to anyone?” Judy asked, paw to her forehead.

“I already told you guys! I didn’t want my boy getting hurt! If he is still with that mammal when you guys run in after Felix, I don’t know what might happen.” The antelope squeaked out, nearly in tears again after being criticized by the small rabbit.

Despite being so short in stature, the grey little bunny did have an intimidating way about herself.

“It’s fine ma’am, lets just talk about what we can do now.” Nick interjected, trying to break the tension.

_Since when was he the responsible one in this partnership._

“Sorry, he’s right” Judy apologized, they weren’t going to get anywhere by judging this mother’s decisions.

“So you said he was a kung fu teacher or something?” Nick asked, one hand holding a pen over his notepad and the other one waving around, simulating a chop.

“Karate, yeah… Bucky, my son, he…used to go to his karate class…”

“Oh, sorry.” Nick said, lowering his ears as he set his free hand back on the café table.

“But like I said, the cat was shut down after he lost his cool with one of the students.” The waitress leaned back against the seat. “They were going to arrest him for assaulting a minor but no one could find him. As soon as he found out that he was to be thrown in jail he disappeared without a trace.”

“Doesn’t he have any family in the area? Maybe a last name we could track him with” the bunny cop inquired.

“No, he always told Bucky to call him Felix, I don’t know if anybody in this entire district would be able to get you a last name on the guy,” the antelope said with a sigh. The longer this discussion went on the more she felt like she was wasting her time with these cops, and Judy could see it in her eyes.

_You just gotta trust us ma’am…_

Not one of the animals said a word for a second, all deep in thought.

Until Nick broke the silence.

“Well that just isn’t possible!”

“What?” the bunny and antelope asked in unison.

“You said he taught karate right? He must have signed something to have that building released to him.”

The waitresses regained a spark of life in her eyes, but it quickly faded.

“What does it matter if we know his last name even do for us?”

“Plenty! We could see what we could find on the guy, maybe discover his m.o… Actually, do you remember the address to the building he used to teach in?” The fox was beginning to get excited again, maybe tracking this guy down again won’t be as hard as he thought it would be.

“Sure do, took Bucky there every Saturday for a year” the antelope explained.

She took a napkin from a nearby holder and scribbled some numbers down. She was about to say something else before the trio heard her boss call out from the back room, telling her to get back to work.

She handed the folded napkin to Judy and smiled curtly, the two officers standing up.

“Thank you ma’am, we’re going to find your son.” Judy said, smiling assuredly to the mother before turning around and hopping off excitedly, leaving Nick to follow her, watching her as she bounced along, smiling to himself.

…

“Getting better at this are you?” Judy asked, hip checking the fox as he exited the café.

“Oh, well ya know, I learn from the best” the fox replied with a sly wink.

“Well let’s hop to it! It’s cold over here and I wanna head home!” the doe added in that persuasive way of hers.

Judy hopped into his arms as the crossed the snow laden streets again, ignoring the impolite stares they got from the occasional passerby. What was she supposed to do in this situation?

…

It was a grungy little building. The two mammals walked in, having received a key from the building’s owner. As it turns out, he no longer had any file on Felix at all, must have lost them. In a show of good faith however, he allowed the two cops to search the two dusty interior rooms to their heart’s content.

“ah-CHOO!”

Nick hadn’t stopped sneezing since they walked in.

“You okay? You don’t sound very okay.” The rabbit patronized him as they rummaged through whatever was left in the room.

“I’m- _sniff_ Fine- _sniff…_ my nose is just… sensitive” the fox assured her between his sniffles.

“Well just try not to get your fox snot on any of the evidence” the rabbit reminded him before getting back to work.

Nick however, stopped.

“That’s pretty rich coming from you, ‘booger ears’”.

Judy tensed up for a moment.

“I told you it’s just a bad habit from when I was younger!”

The fox chuckled as he walked closer, pulling her into his chest.

“It’s fine bun, just let me know and I’ll get a tissue next time”

Judy said nothing, it felt kinda nice to be held like that. Completely ignoring their work they stood in the room the smelt of mildew and sweaty socks.

Not that any of them could notice really.

Judy’s little nose burrowed into the fox’s jacket, and Nick nuzzled her face, huffing the bunny’s sweet scent. It certainly beat constantly sneezing.

“ _ah-CHOO!_ ”

_Or not_

Judy released the fox, trying to look mad.

But she couldn’t be, she was asking it.

“Sorry” the fox said meekly, shrugging his shoulders slightly with a pitiful grin on his face.

“You can make it up to me later” Judy said before tossing him a stack of papers previously strewn across the floor. “For now, let’s just hurry up so we can get you out of here” she said, her smile reappearing.

…

Nothing.

Anything they could find was completely useless.

The papers were all random scraps pertaining to martial arts and what looked to be essays written by children on their favorite karate masters. As much as Nick thought it was cute how the kids took so much time describing their idols, it didn’t further the case.

“Any that was ever important here is long gone now carrots.” He said in resignation.

The room was mostly barren. There was a black punching bag suspended by a chain in one corner of the room, and a mold of what looked to be some kind of cat used to teach anatomy was left lying on its side. All of the protective gear was also gone, but Judy had a feeling she knew where at least a few pieces of it went.

“Well, let’s move on to the back room then.” The bunny spoke as she cautiously moved back the veil strewn across the doorway to the comparatively tiny room in the back of the dojo.

Nick followed her in, cautious not to step on any of the papers left on the floor.

“Think these are just more of those assignments?” he said, picking one up.

Judy grabbed his arm, forcing him to lower the lower the paper so that she could read it as well.

Nothing special.

Judy wrung her ears in her paws and went to lean back on the nearby wall.

She leaned a little too hard, disturbing the precariously placed ceiling panels.

“Hang on carrots, don’t want to cause a cave in here” the fox joked.

Ignoring his comment, Judy looked up at the now displaced ceiling.

“Actually, why don’t you give me a boost foxy?” a plan coming together in her mind.

“Uh, sure I guess”

He held out a paw for her to step on and quickly propped her up on his shoulders, but the ceiling was still slightly out of reach for the small mammals.

“Let me find something to stand on, the fox said, scanning the room”

Judy quickly stepped up on his snout, almost making him bite his tongue.

She quickly shoved one of the panels aside and pulled herself up into the attic like space.

“Never mind then!” Nick shouted to her, rubbing his snout. Too late, she was already up there.

…

_Woah_

The paneling proved to be a bit sturdier as she made her way further into the attic, but it retained the decrepit, creepy vibe of the floor below.

The attic had blankets and food containers lain haphazardly across the floor.

The place looked _lived_ in.

Felix had been staying here the entire time, but if that’s the case…where was he now?

The rabbit picked found a picture, frameless but still in good condition, sitting on a trunk towards the front of the room. It looked like it was a photo taken of two lynxes, probably related. The photograph was a little older, so she could guess that this was probably taken when the lynx was younger. The other lynx must have been a brother, or a father.

The rabbit stared at the photo, she was certain she had seen this older lynx somewhere, hadn’t he been arrested a few years ago. She saw his profile in the police database but didn’t think anything of it. The only reason she had devoted him to memory at all in the first place was because of the odd circumstances of his arrest.

She didn’t remember what he was to be jailed, _for_ , but she did know that, despite going along peacefully, he was beaten pretty bad. Bad enough for his injuries to claim his life days later.

She remembered being disgusted when she saw the file, it was so bizarre that he would just sit there and take a pummeling.

The officers were fired shortly thereafter. Though part of her had wished the lynx had fought back. She wouldn’t usually condone fighting a cop, but they were corrupt!

Well, regardless of who this cat was related to, she couldn’t pity him. Now that they knew he returned here to rest, they could catch him off guard.

…

That night, when everyone had gone to bed, a lynx squirmed his way through the paneling of the old karate dojo in the colder part of tundra town.

Stripping off his hoodie, protective vest, and other garments, the lynx curled up in his blankets, eager to get some sleep before tomorrow.

_Hmm_

_Wha-_

_Where was it?_

His photo was gone? Wait, no it wasn’t, but that’s not where he had left it.

Felix clutched the picture in his paw, lightly scratching at it with his drawn claws. Somebody had been up here, and he was pretty sure he knew who.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't thank those of you who have read this far enough, it means the world to me : ). As we move into the final act of the fic I am going to be moving into a bi-weekly (Mondays & Thursdays') upload schedule from now on. Up until this point, I had all of the chapters pre-written which allowed me to upload them daily, but to ensure quality I'll be spacing out the updates a bit. This applies to the rest of this particular story as well as any other story I put out in the future, so be on the look out!
> 
> Next chapter should be up next monday, have a nice weekend :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally their stay in the freezing town in northern Zootopia would be coming to an end. All they need to do now is detain the bad guy and they will have earned themselves an oh-so-sweet ticket home. 
> 
> Was this all too good to be true? The Fox has some of his own thoughts on the matter.

The fox took those first few, careful steps into the old, abandoned dojo. This shouldn’t take long.

_Wait for the culprit to arrive._

_Apprehend._

_It was that easy._

But the simplicity of their mission from here on out was not something Nick took for granted. After all, it _was_ a fantastic coincidence that they had met a waitress who happened to be the exact associate they needed for the job. Why is it that all the pieces seemed to fit together in their favor? It was too good to be true.

What if Felix wanted this? What if they’ve been wandering into that lynx’s trap all along? Nick prided himself in being able to spot a con when he saw one, but this entire operation could turn into a nightmare if he failed to notice a key detail here.

Maybe he wasn’t as observant as he thought he was.

With uncertainty filling his head, he didn’t tell Judy to turn back. They just walked further into what could be their inevitable deaths. He didn’t share his concerns with his partner.

If something went wrong, as it often did, it would be his fault.

Maybe the antelope was in on the entire thing. She had no son, she was just a lure. He was toying with them. Felix was trying to tempt Nick’s precious partner into his open mouth, waiting to swallow her whole like he almost did a few nights back.

Or maybe he was over reacting. It’s been a long couple of days.

A lot has happened.

A lot that Nick didn’t want to squander by losing his edge out here. It would be for the best if he just calmed down.

This would be like any other stake-out.

Judy skipped up ahead of him, the dreamy swaying of the bunny’s unconcerned, yet entrancing motions as she made her way over to the other end of the building trapped he partner in a hazy state of euphoria.

She parted the veil to the compact back room so that she could peak inside. Nick watched as she looked up at the ceiling of the small room.

The fox could almost feel himself drift away from the surface of the earth watching her, content to float into the pleasant embrace of sleep so long as she was with him.

He was becoming a bit _too_ calm. What was going on today? Maybe he hadn’t gotten much night the night before… did they go to sleep at all? The events of the past few days blended together in his mind.

He couldn’t focus.

“I don’t think anything’s been moved since we left, we just need to wait for him.” The bunny said, turning back to look at Nick.

The fox found himself unable to speak.

He wanted to warn her but when he opened his mouth he couldn’t so much as squeak.

His eyes were transfixed behind her as she gazed at him across the room, the faint silhouette of a tail dangling behind the rabbit visible through the thin veil that she let drape around her shoulders so that she could look inside the room.

_Turn around Judy._

The rabbit raised an eye lid, probably wondering what has him so worked up.

_“If only I could tell you carrots…”_ the fox thought, unable to move, unable to think. He was trapped in his own body as his worst nightmare loomed precariously above a love he could only ever dream to find.

_Turn around_

…

Nick startled awake, tossing the bed sheets off of himself.

He had to almost peel his head off of the pillow, his entire side of the bed saturated with the same sweat that covered his body now. He could hardly breathe, terror still gripping firmly at his heart.

“What? _What!? What is it Nick?”_ Judy woke up terrified, calling out to the fox who was still writhing in bed next to her.

She looked at him expectantly, one ear raised to attention and the other one still slicked back against her head, not quite awake yet.

The fox had propped himself up on his elbows, eyes scanning the room until they turned to meet Judy’s. Without so much as a word of explanation he scooped her up in his arms and held her, clenching her tight against his still sweat drenched body.

“Nick, what the hell? Why are you… all wet?”

His chest still rising and falling tumultuously, Nick cradled the rabbit closer to himself, her head fitting snuggly within the crook of his neck.

She could feel the thunderous thumping of his heart as he pressed her against his chest. It sounded as if the entire horse population of Sahara Square were racing down a dirt road.

“Nick…” she snuggled up even closer to him, one paw throwing off the rest of the blankets swallowing the sweaty couple and the other resting itself on his trembling knee. “Calm down…”

Seemingly for the first time that night, the fox sharply inhaled through his nose, his body shuddering against the smaller mammal as he expelled through his quivering mouth, trying to calm himself.

Judy slowly slipped from his hold, careful not to make any sudden movements and startle the already rattled vulpine sitting on the bed. Placing her right paw on the bed to balance herself as she hopped off, her other paw caressed his knee in comfort.

She made her way over to the pitcher of water left by the maid the morning before and poured her fox a glass, high enough to quench his thirst but not so high that he would spill it as she placed it in his shaking paws.

He gladly accepted the glass, holding it with both paws as he cautiously lifted it up to his muzzle.

“Sorry if it’s a little warm, it’s been out all day” Judy explained, climbing back up onto the bed.

“Thanks, S-Sorry about that fluff… “ The fox allowed his eyes to skip away from his drink. “You know, you’re pretty good at this sort of thing.” Nick tried to muster a slight grin as he spoke, but the way his lip trembled as he attempted to form it only made Judy look at him with even more sympathy.

The bunny laid back down next to him, staring at the ceiling.

“Well, I would like to think I know how to deal with night terrors by now, I’m no stranger to them myself” she said, smiling softly, her paw once again caressing the fox’s thigh.

“You?” the fox asked, wiping his muzzle and setting the glass on the nightstand.

“We’ve seen some interesting stuff on the force foxy…”

They had, but none of it had ever been enough to jostle him awake like tonight’s nightmare.

Nick laid back, now staring at the same ceiling Judy was looking up at.

“What happened?” she spoke with a quiet, yet genuinely curious tone of  voice.

“We had gone to stake out Felix’s place, I guess. Things didn’t go like they thought we would” he ran a paw over his tired face, tugging his shut eyes open again. “He snuck up on you, and I couldn’t say anything, I was… _terrified_ carrots.”

Judy, eyes never leaving the cream colored ceiling of their motel room, took Nick’s paw in her own.

“If this really bothers you that, I can go and nab the guy myself Nick, we did most of the work already.”

Nick wrapped his comparatively larger paw tighter around Judy’s.

“I wasn’t scared for my own safety Judy.”

The fox didn’t move or say a word for a minute, leaving Judy in anticipation, hungrily waiting for his next words.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to protect _you_ ”

…

The alarm sounded off, 5:30 again.

Judy’s paw fumbled around on the nightstand, trying to hit the snooze button.

She sat up in bed, moving her ears out of her eyes, only to notice that Nick wasn’t anywhere in the room.

Next to the alarm sat a Note in Nick’s scribbly hand writing.

 

_Dear Cotton Tail,_

_Hey, decided to head out to the café again to see if I could catch Jack_

_before we wrapped this case up and left tundra town._

_Take it easy for a couple of hours, we don’t need to start the stake-out_

_till noon. What are the chances of him being there this early anyways?_

_P.s- Seriously, don’t head over without me, I want to see this through!_

_-Love, Nick_

 

The rabbit rolled her eyes and placed the ugly handwritten note back down and slumped back into bed.

Nick? Getting up _before_ 5:30? He usually asks for a few extra minutes, never has he ever gotten up _early_!

Maybe last night’s bad dream really messed the fox up.

Judy rolled out of bed and started getting dressed, “take it easy” bah…

_Hmm…_

Judy paused for a moment.

The bunny looked at the clock and shrugged, “ _Well, I could look around this district for a little while_ …”

…

The cool summer air sent chills running up Nick’s spine as he walked through the quiet, early morning streets.

Was it the cold that was gripping him right now? Or-

_Yes, it was the cold._

Finally reaching the old building, Nick hesitated, his paw resting on the grimy doorknob. The gate way to hell?

Nah, just some smelly old building that irritated his sensitive nose. Allergies are bad, but hell wouldn’t really be the word he would use to describe-

Nick had to stop thinking.

He was procrastinating, he just needed to finish this so he could go home.

So, all thoughts removed from his head, the fox unlocked the door and boldly allowed it to swing open.

As gently as one could boldly swing open a door.

The familiar musty scent from before attacked him as soon as the door opened, mixing with the crisp air outside.

Turning his head to the side Nicholas P. Wilde, eyes glancing down the lamp-lit streets, took a deep breath, enjoying that last taste of clean air, and walked inside.

…

He walked in and flipped the light switch on, one goal in mind. It was still early, the sun wasn’t even all the way up yet, and though he wrote Judy telling her that Felix would probably not be in his safe house this early, for all he knew he very well could be.

They didn’t know when this cat came and went, and Nick reasoned that if _he_ was a criminal…again, he would probably pop in during the dead of night, sleep until day break and then leave. You would get the most rest during those hours and still be able to slip in and out with only a very slim chance of anyone ever seeing you.

So, if his hunch was correct, Felix should be right above him, cornered in the attic.

Scary attic beats dark woods, at least the lynx can’t run away when he’s in an attic.

Was that a good thing? Time to find out.

He reached out to the veil, taking hold of it with his paw and paused for a moment.

That was odd. In his dream, he imagined it to be more see through, this thing was so dense and dusty there is no way he would be able to look into the next room without moving it out of the way.

Whatever.

Nick parted the veil and was promptly greeted with a kick to the gut. As he flew back, he immediately realized that he may have made a grievous error in judgment today.

…

Now a considerably large distance away from the back room, the fox looked up, felix ambling towards him.

“What are you doing here fox?”

“How?...” Nick was trying to catch his breath after taking a swift kick to his stomach.

“Honestly, I was expecting a rabbit.” The lynx kicked the struggling fox over, walking circles around his prey.

“Wait, did the waitress tip you off?” Nick rose his paws to his chest as he struggled to stand back up.

“What? No, but I knew you had been here, you didn’t leave my stuff the way you found it.” The Lynx said, shaking his head in disapproval, still circling the fox. “I had just assumed it was the bunny cop”.

_Figures_

“Yeah, I guess we made some pretty big assumptions today…” the fox said chuckling dryly.

For being as unfortunate as it was, this was a pretty funny chain of events. Had he not jumped to conclusions and waited for his partner, maybe things would have ended differently.

“You… think that’s funny?” the Lynx asked.

Nick, now able to stand up properly, looked the Lynx in the eye and nodded with a toothy, defiant grin.

“I like you” the Lynx said, returning the smile.

Nick’s expression softened slightly at this, maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all. Perhaps he could just talk his way of this one, he had always been a persuasive fox.

The Lynx pounced on him, forcing the fox to duck out of the way and back pedal to gain some distance from the animal.

_Ok forget it, dumb idea._

Without missing a beat the lynx lunged at Nick again, closing the distance almost immediately and sending a flurry of vicious swipes his way. Nick ducked and rolled, anything he could do to avoid the onslaught. No matter how many strikes he avoided, the Lynx wouldn’t relent.

Nick was never a close combat kind of guy. He never encountered a criminal that attacked him so feverishly, but clearly he couldn’t run from this cat forever, so he moved in for a few attacks of his own.

He raked his own extended claws across his enemy’s chest, tugging at the protective material beneath it.

His advances were answered with a sturdy uppercut to the jaw, leaving the fox to grip his mouth in pain.

The Lynx capitalized on the moment of weakness by kicking the fox’s legs out from under him, leaping on top of him and tearing at the vulpine with his extended claws.

Deciding enough was enough Nick forcefully kicked the cat off of him and into the air. As he rose however, the Lynx clasped onto the light bulb illuminating the room and crushed it in his grasp, stalking back into the darkness when his feet reached the floor.

The darkness did little to hinder Nick’s superb night vision, but the drastic change of surroundings jostled him. Now he was being hunted in the dark.

 There was something eerily primal about that.

He spun around to meet his aggressor’s next charge, locking claws with the beast, both animals attempting to overpower the other.

Nick was outmatched. He couldn’t fight Felix off without his partner, he was dwarfed in size.

The large cat pushed against the fox with all of his might, forcing the fox down onto the ground, snapping his comparatively slim arm at an odd angle, earning a tormented yip from the fox which was quickly hushed by the lynx’s paw.

“ _Tch-tch-tch_ ” the lynx clicked his tongue as if he was admonishing a baby.

Hand still covering the wounded fox’s mouth, he delivered three stern punches to the animal’s rib cage, ensuring he won’t be trying to get up.

Felix exhaled as he got off of Nick, clearly satisfied with the fight.

“Well, you aren’t the bunny that’s for sure, but you’re her partner, so maybe you will be of some use after all”.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter today, sorry! This is really just here to set the scene as the story draws to a close. I intended to upload this last Monday but real life got out of hand. If its any consolation, I am really excited for the next chapter, so be on the look out for that!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He never really was one to stay out of trouble for long, was he?

As Judy ambled down the quiet, early morning street, she couldn’t help but furrow her brow as thought back to Nick’s late night freak-out. The poor fox was scared out of his wits. And for what? All of this over her? For a little country bunny?

What did she have to do to convince him that she was capable of taking care of herself? If anything she should be looking out for _him!_

Maybe she should go back to the motel and get her radio so that she could contact him. She left it on the bedside table because there wasn’t much point in bringing it, but she was beginning to regret her decision.

No, it’s best not to disturb him. He was probably having a nice morning with Jack right now, sitting together in the little outside café.

The bunny yawned deeply, inhaling a lungful of the frisk, passing breeze as soon as she opened her mouth.

She adored Nick, but his little episode cost het some precious sleep.

_So tired…_

Judy rubbed her paws together, trying to warm them as she thought to herself.

Maybe she should head over to the café herself. Walking these streets without her tall, warm companion was awfully boring, so she might as well see if she could meet back up with Nick and Jack. Even if they’ve already left, at least she will get a refreshing morning walk out of this.

...

As she walked down the frosty sidewalk, Judy couldn’t help but pause when she saw a rhino propping open the door of the local Snarlbucks, an open invitation to come in addressed to anybody on an early morning walk.

The warmth radiating from the open door into the bleak morning mist settling on the town entranced the bunny for a moment.

She was going to the café anyways…

_Well, a little cup wouldn’t hurt._

Judy made her way through the open door, the warmth of the heated, wooden floor panels a welcome feeling to the gelid sidewalk she had been walking on earlier.

The rabbit was immediately hit with the soothing scent of coffee. Her little nose had undoubtedly perked up slightly when the door to the commercialized café opened, but being inside of the brewery was a much more magical experience compared to the whiff one could get when passing by.

The dim lights, casting their pleasant rays across the muted walls mixed well with the orange, natural lighting the rising sun projected through the blinds of the windows. The pleasant, peaceful look of the restaurant combined with the rapturous smell of the fresh cups being brewed made the place feel like home.

Which was weird to say, because, being rabbits, her family never did drink much coffee.

Maybe, it was the fact that whenever Nick would stay over at her apartment he would brew her a cup, allowing her to wake up to that cozy aroma. It was rare for him to ever wake up before her, but he always made a point to when he stayed at her place. It was like a little thank you for the company. It’s such a little thing, an insignificant thing really, making coffee for a friend, but it made her feel safe and welcome.

It made her feel at home.

_She should go find Nick._

“May I help you?”

The rhino who had opened the place up before was now looking at her, his eyes brandishing that same glossy, newly awakened look hers had, complimenting his gentle, inviting smile.

“Oh! Sorry, was just looking to get something to help wake up.” the rabbit giggled as she smiled back cordially, roused from her peaceful musing about the coffee shop.

As she groggily crept closer to the counter something registered in her brain, something that had been at the back of her mind since she walked in.

“So what will I be getting you ma’am?”

Amongst the strong caffeine-laden fragrance filling the air she could make out the sweet scent of blueberries.

…

Judy continued making her way down that same sidewalk, in one paw her caffeinated drink and in the other a similar, blueberry flavored coffee with the name “Nick” scribbled across the side of the cup. The rabbit took a sip of the fruity drink and recoiled slightly. Nope, not for her… but she knew that her fox would devour anything related to the berry.

Besides, she wanted to do something nice for him, he was having a rough week. Being rejected by the one you loved only to have them change their mind within 48 hours was more drama then he needed in his life.

The rabbit took a sip of her own drink, slightly startled by the short antelope that had made its way in front of her when she looked back up.

“Oh, Hi there! Can I help you?” she asked the child, standing eye to eye with her.

“Um, yeah…I guess.” the kid crossed his arms anxiously, rubbing them for comfort. “You’re a copper right?”

“Yup, do you need something kiddo?” Judy answered, her face still wearing the same melted-satisfied smile it had been since she got her coffee.

“Oh… um…yeah…Uh, is your partner a fox by any chance?” the kid avoided her inquiry about him needing any help.

“…Yeah, why?” the bunny’s grin began to fade and she was starting to feel uneasy, what was this kid getting at? How did he know about Nick?

He didn’t say anything, instead biting his lip for a moment before exhaling.

“Well, I’m Bucky, you should probably take me home”

Her smile quickly returned

He must be the child of the waitress they met yesterday.

 The kid just didn’t wanna go home. Well, at least he came to his senses and realized he had to eventually.

The rabbit gave the kid a reassuring thumbs up “Of course, do you know your address by heart?”

The antelope grimaced before looking down and shaking his head no.

“Hmm, well I can take you to her work, I was on my way there anyways. Would you like that?”

Bucky seemed to be staring right through the bunny despite looking directly into her deep, amethyst eyes.

“Yeah”

…  


“Bucky!” the waitress threw her arms around the boy and scooped him up, café goers gazing at her discreetly as they worked on their meals and went about their morning.

While the mother antelope smothered her prodigal son in affection; Judy couldn’t help but lean back against the nearby bar stool, smiling a slightly closed lip smile.

Good work today Judy, _Good work._

 _“Never,_ scare me like that again boy. What were you thinking? I’m your mother! You’re old convict of a karate teacher will never love you like I do.” The smaller antelope grumbled something, his face held so tightly to his mother’s breast the little officer couldn’t help but wonder if he could even breathe.

“Ma, it doesn’t matter. I just want to go home”

“I’ll take you home after my shift kiddo” the mother smoothed out the fur on top of her son’s head. “And I’ll bake you you’re favorite pie if you promise never to run away again.

Bucky, despite the wonderful deal being presented to him, wouldn’t even smile.

The mother turned to Judy, still cradling her child. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing him home Officer Hopps.” The tears continued streaming down her long face.

Judy held her paws up dismissively, reveling in the mother’s joy.

“It really was nothing, he’s the one who came up to me. If you hadn’t told him to come looking for me then I probably wouldn’t have found him as quickly as I did” she replied, still dismissing at all of the praise.

The previously weepy animal immediately clammed up, the brow above her tear stained face crinkling in confusion.

“Mrs. Hopps, I… I never told him about you guys…” she started. “I had no way of contacting him-“

Judy’s raised an eyebrow in confusion.

_What?_

 She narrowed her eyes and turned to Bucky, still in his mother’s arms.

“Bucky… how did you know to come looking for a bunny? A bunny with a fox for a partner?” she asked, beginning to steeple her fingers.

“Um… If you don’t mind me asking, where is the fox officer anyways? I should thank him as well…” the waitress interrupted.

_Oh_

Where _was_ Nick anyways?

“Um…” she placed her palms on her forehead now, worry over taking her pleased expression.

“I was half expecting him to be here.”

Bucky turned his face back into his mother’s breast, too ashamed to look the rabbit cop in the eye.

“Bucky?” Judy asked again. “How did you know to come find me?”

The little antelope sighed.

“Please don’t be mad but-“

“But what?” the waitress interrupted again.

“Hey! Back to work!” the owner of the café could be heard yelling from the back room now.

“Bucky!?” Judy cried desperately.

The antelope hopped out of his mother’s hold and ambled towards the rabbit, fumbling with his hooves as he walked.

“My karate sensei said to come and find you. He was letting me clean the old district ware house when I saw him come in with the fox.”

Judy took a step back in horror, the bar stools foot stand nearly tripping her as she went.

“Bucky… that warehouse has been abandoned for ages now” his mother explained.

“Yeah, but last night he told me he had new plans for it. He said he was going to set up a ring there so that we could start class again!” the little calf exhaled sharply.

“But when he brought the fox cop in he said that if I didn’t go find a bunny cop, that guys partner, then I wouldn’t be able to join.” He shifted his hooves uneasily on the floor. “I would have told you sooner but the fox was screaming at me, telling me not to tell you. He said you could get hurt if I told you. “

“I just wanted to go to karate again” the antelope threw his hooves up in defeat.

“But I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me!”

Judy swallowed hard before weaning herself off of the barstool cautiously, trying to keep her balance after the news.

“Old warehouse?... An old warehouse right kid?” Judy asked, already making for the door.

“Mr. Felix said you should hurry, ‘that old fox only has so much blood’, I swear I didn’t know what to do! Please don’t be mad!”

“Don’t get yourself hurt!” the waitress whined.

Judy dropped her two coffee cups onto a nearby table haphazardly and bolted out the door, running down the cool street in the opposite direction she had come from.

…

Her tears nearly froze to her face as the cool air rushed passed her while she raced down the street.

_I was out getting coffee and my boyfriend is being tortured by a maniac._

The more she thought about it the more her heart wrenched.

_Of course, of course… of course_

What did he do? She should have known. Nick didn’t ever think things like this through. He was her partner, she should have seen this coming.

Didn’t she love him?

_I know I passed a warehouse, where? Where?!_

…

The fox spat in the lynx’s face as he hung him upside down from the ceiling, the claustrophobic design of the little room in the back of the warehouse only adding to his confusion and discomfort.

With a heavy sigh the big cat wiped the saliva off of his nose before smacking the fox silly with the back of his paw. The fox, arms tied tight against his back, could do nothing to stop from going into a rapid spin, only to spin back in the other direction as the rope attached to the ceiling he was suspended from twisted and turned.

Even if his arms were untied it was unlikely he could actually do anything about his current situation. His right arm was broken, bone surfacing at a crude angle from his fur. He couldn’t even feel his left arm.

The only thing he could do in this situation was spit.

So he did, blood tainting the disgusting glob as it hit the lynx in the eye.

“She isn’t going to find us, so just hurry up and do what you need to do. How old was that kid? 8? How is he gonna find my partner in this _huge_ district? Ever think of that big guy?”

Felix grabbed onto the foxes police jacket and pulled. Painfully straining the fox’s broken arm, the lynx used the jacket to wipe off his eye before punching the vulpine square in the mouth.

“I know you aren’t a killer Felix. We can work through this” Nick attempted to reason with the crazed feline through gritted teeth.

Without a word, Felix reached into a nearby box and pulled out a metal muzzle, much to the fox’s apparent horror.

Nick tried to argue, shaking his head, but the last hit to the face made him unable to form any words, the only sound escaping his maw the unpleasant gurgling caused by the blood pooling in his mouth from the near constant abuse.

The lynx fastened the bulky muzzle on so tight that the fox found it hard to breathe.

The eerie contraption was rusted in multiple places and smelled of iron and something visceral, reminiscent of blood, but that could just be because his mouth was now dripping with the stuff.

Felix leaned into the fox, whispering in his ear, a deceitfully gentle smile on his lips. “I don’t being spat on, okay?”

He carefully pulled his foot up and rested it on the fox’s chest, before rearing back and delivering a poignant kick, sending the winded animal into the side of the wall. Nick could hardly scream as he slammed back first into the solid barrier behind him, his arm taking the brunt of the impact.

The lynx looked out the tinted window connecting the little room to the rest of the warehouse.

In the middle of the building stood a shoddily made boxing ring, most of the bright lights in the building focused on that one particular site, presumably for added effect.

“She’ll come, she doesn’t have much time.”

_What did he mean by that?_

The Lynx turned back to the fox, making unblinking, focused eye contact with the shivering vulpine walking over to meet him face to face.

“I like you, don’t mess this up” was all he said before he raked a claw across the fox’s throat, making a shallow incision, not enough to kill the fox but enough to allow the blood rushing to the upper half of his body to start making its escape.

Hanging upside down like this, he would eventually bleed out if help didn’t come soon. Nick could feel his consciousness slipping away from him.

_If he liked me, he had a weird way of showing it._

…

_Warehouse!_

Judy’s head was pounding when she finally reached the massive doors to the old building. How long had she been looking for this place? Was she too late?

Her brained screamed at her to stop for a moment and catch her breath, every muscle in her legs and core sore after the intense run across the district.

_But she couldn’t_

_She couldn’t stop until she knew her partner was safe and back in her arms._

If she had her radio, she would request back-up. But it was just her, standing there with her paws balled into little fists.

And so, Judy’s meek, tired body threw the garish, red warehouse doors open, and, turning her head to side as if to take one last look at the eerily peaceful Tundra town around her, stepped inside.

…

“Felix!”

_“Felix!”_

“I’m here! We can settle this now!”

The imposing lynx startled the little rabbit as he seemingly slithered out of the darker corner of the room, into the light, his lips pursed tightly into a pleased smile face as he motioned her inside, one paw waving her in while the other rested on his lower back.

Somehow he managed to make this old building feel colder than the outside world.

“Where’s my partner?”

“Waiting for you!” he explained flippantly, “and you really did keep him waiting”.

Judy scowled.

“What do you want from me?” she interrogated him.

“An honest fight?” he scoffed, almost as if he was accusing her of something.

“You already had your fight, give me my partner back.”

“That was no honest fight. I’m not sure how many fights you’ve had that ended in you being paw cuffed-“

The cat was interrupted by the sound of metallic cuffs hitting the floor, followed by Judy’s tranquilizer gun.

“Give me my partner back and I swear I’ll go easy Felix.”

The lynx did indeed like the fox. He had gusto. He sought him out all in his lonesome despite obviously being afraid. The moment Nick stepped foot into the dojo, Felix could smell the fox’s trepidations about actually walking in. With this rabbit officer, he could sense nothing but an unbridled fury that threatened to reign down upon him if he didn’t give her what she wanted.

He strolled over to the crudely formed fighting ring in the middle of the room, climbing over the taut cords that acted as the ropes to the arena.  Judy followed him wordlessly, while she could barely stand when she had first walked in, her determination now prevented her from even noticing just how tired she was.

“The fox is in the back room” Felix said as she took her corner on the mat. “Bleeding pretty bad. Probably doesn’t have much time.” He motioned behind himself into the inky blackness. “Beat me and you can go see him”

With that he drew his claws and postured intimidatingly.

Something was different about this face off. She seemed _almost_ frightened when he attacked her in the woods, but today she seemed offended. It was almost as if she felt he was wasting her time. Was she taking this seriously?

Last time he gave her the first move, so she took it again.

Somehow, the little bunny seemed terrifying charging at him like that.

…

Stopping just short of his reach, Judy sprang into the air and delivered a vicious round-house kick to the Lynx jaw.

_What?_

He fell to the mat with a dull thud, his slobber spraying across his side of the ring as he toppled over.

The rabbit stood a few feet away from him, looking at him expectantly, almost as if she wished he would get up.

It wasn’t until he lifted his face off the mat that her expression softened.

His jaw looked to be dislocated after that single swift kick.

He looked up at her, horrified.

_What kind of rabbit was this strong?_

Judy, standing before him in righteous fury moments earlier now began stepping back, unable to look away from the wounded mammal in front of her. How could she do that? She joined the force to protect the animals of Zootopia. This wasn’t protecting anyone.

As she watched Felix struggle to stand back up she thought back to the lynx who had been killed by the corrupt police force.

No, she was better than this. This was brutal, barbaric.

The lynx slumped back to the ground, the shock preventing him from picking himself back up, so Judy just ran past him, swimming through the blackness that overtook the back of the warehouse

She ran quicker then she had when she was looking for the warehouse. Quicker then she knew she was capable of.

When she reached the back of the building she could barely make out the silhouette of the door knob, but she scrambled for it, hurriedly turning it and rushing into the now open room, paws fumbling for the light switch.

When she saw him suspended there, blood pooling below his head, she finally realized how tired she had become.

…

Nick shook awake when he felt someone lay there paws upon him.

_Wait, those paws are too small, too gentle to be Felix…_

He tried to open his eyes, only able to open one slightly. Enough to make out the soft features of his partner, Judy Hopps.

 _“Is my other eye is swollen shut?”_ he thought to himself.

_“What is going on here?”_

Comprehension of reality slowly dripped back into his mind as he hung there.

_“Ah, but I didn’t think she would ever actually show…”_

“Nick?” his bunny asked as her paws quickly worked on the muzzle fastened onto his face.

“Mmm?” was all he could muster.

“Nick, I’m going to get you out of here” Judy continued to work on detaching the muzzle.

“Mmm”

Victorious, Judy undid the locking mechanism on the muzzle and threw it to the floor, allowing the bygone contraption to break in two as it fell.

Nick couldn’t help but trace it with his one open eye as it did. When he was finally certain it was resting on the floor in pieces, he looked back to Judy, the hard factory lighting of the small room illuminating her as she stood there.

“Where were you all those years ago carrots?” he said with a chuckle, his voice sounding like he had just been gargling nails.

Judy pulled his face, still hanging upside down, closer to her own and ran weepy kisses across his bloodied maw. Her exhausted tears saturating his fur as she held him.

“C’mon fluff, I’m pretty sure that if anyone has the right to cry in this situation it’s me”

“Shhhhh…” she quietly hushed him and began undoing the bindings that held him up.

The fox closed his good eye and exhaled wistfully, smiling to himself as Judy braced herself against him, reaching to undo the ropes.

She was saving him.

He quickly reopened his eye when he realized what was about to happen.

“Um Judy wait-“

As the bunny finished untying the cords the fox fell back down to the earth, landing on his already bad arm.

Any other day he probably would have yelped in pain, but it was sort of funny how everything seemed to be working against him today.

“Sorry! Sorry…”

The bunny took his head up into her lap, rubbing his ears tenderly.

“Nick…”

She helped him rest his broken arm on his chest, trying to be careful as she lifted it.

“God Nick…”

The bunny tried to slow the bleeding by placing light pressure on the facile slit running across his throat.

“I need to get you out of here”

For once, the fox didn’t respond, instead turning his head slightly into a comfier position on the rabbits lap, resting his eyes.

“Stay with me here Nick, we can sleep later” the bunny continued stroking the fox’s rustled fur.

Neither of them had been watching the door.

When Judy felt the entire paw of some beast wrap itself around her tired body, she realized her mistake.

…

The rabbit was pulled from the fox, frantically trying to grab on to something in the empty room to no avail.

Nick, head hitting the floor as his partner was wrenched out from underneath him, couldn’t help but watch in horror as the Lynx wound back and tossed the small bunny across the room, into the nearby shelves, stalking out into the darkness after her.

_No_

Scrambling out from under the storage shelves, Judy felt her resolve return.

She didn’t make it all the way here just to have her tail handed to her by some petty criminal,

The light still emanating through the open door of Nick’s room allowed her to make out the shape of the large cat advancing towards her on all fours.

The rabbit grabbed onto the side of one of the nearby shelves and struggled to get on top of it. She hurriedly made her way from one shelf to the next, each one being overturned almost immediately after she leapt from it.

“Wait wait wait!” she shouted back as she ran.

The lynx -jaw still dislocated- couldn’t form any proper sentences, resorting to frustrated gurgles and growls.

She didn’t stop moving once, not wanting to see what might become of her if she did. As she made it to the end of the row of shelves, she was petrified at the sight of the slack-jawed lynx clambering his way atop the set of shelves adjacent to her own.

The rabbit tripped over her own feet while turning around to make her way back down her own row, narrowly avoiding the lunging cat as he jumped across the way towards her, claws bared.

Once she put some distance between the two of them, Judy was able to look back and find that Felix was having trouble staying on top of the shelves, being as large as he was.

It was dark, but if she could just get him off balance-

The hero cop slid into the feline, knocking his feet out from under him, almost avoiding his frantic grasps for something to hold on to but failing.

His paws were around her neck, trying with all of his strength to bring her down with him! The lynx shook the bunny violently, Judy gasping for air while trying to maintain her footing. Eventually the entire row fell over on top of them, burying them beneath it.

…

The rabbit couldn’t move, but at least that guy didn’t have his paws around her anymore. Her head pressed against the cold cement flooring of the warehouse her eyes scanned her immediate surroundings for something to help prop up the immovable wooden bracket weighing down on her.

A wave of shock over took her again when she felt the lynx’s familiar paw take hold of her foot, yanking her violently out from under the junk that once littered the shelves. He threw her to the ground again.

The rabbit struggled back to her feet again.

_If he throws me to the ground one more time…_

Judy gritted her teeth together as she stood in front of the colossal animal again. The guy was pretty beat up but didn’t show any signs of stopping. One the nearby support beams was just slim enough for her to wrap her handcuffs around, if only she had them. Without them, this was liable to go on forever.

She _couldn’t_ go on forever.

The lynx aggressively lashed out at her again, swiping at his small target out of frustration. She was too tired to get in close, if she did, he could easily snatch her up.

The rabbit was breathing heavily now, trying her best to stay a step ahead of her aggressor but slowly letting up.

She slowly led him over to the support beam, if she could find something to tie him up with then this would all be over.

One unconfident step backwards led her to stumble further back, stepping on a rusted nail and throwing off her balance.

It was all over.

The Lynx Leapt atop her for the final time and brought his claws down on her, nearly striking the rabbit’s chest had he not been thrown off of her by a familiar orange fox.

Nick wrestled with the lynx, crying out in pain as the big cat pushed back, putting pressure on his already broken arm.

Despite being dog tired.

Despite the broken arm.

Despite the fact that he _probably_ lost more blood then he cared to lose in a day.

He pushed the Lynx back, slapping his own set of cuffs around the cat’s paw before attaching the other end to the support column, rolling away from the now raging predator.

Judy yanked the rusted nail out from her foot and made her way over to her partner, now sitting on the floor.

“Nice work slick…” the rabbit said, placing a paw on his shoulder.

“Yup…”

The rabbit slouched down onto the ground next to him, crossing her legs.

“Nick?”

“Uh-huh?” the fox wheezed.

“Don’t do this again”

The fox respond by curling up into a ball on the floor and sighing heavily, resting his head in Judy’s lap again.

“You can take a nap later Wilde, we need to get out of here.” But the bunny didn’t move him, at least not right away.

She stroked his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm glad that intense portion is out of the way! I would like to say it will be smooth sailing from here on out, but that would probably be a lie ; ) .
> 
> Once again, thank you for getting this far. It's been a bumpy ride so far, and my next story featuring this pair will hopefully be much more tactfully made, but I just wanted to get something down for this first fic! That being said, I have enjoyed writing it so far, and I hope you all will enjoy reading the rest of it as it comes to a close!
> 
> Oh, and please don't be afraid to leave a thoughtful critique! I thrive on you're interaction with me!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moments reprieve, probably just for a moment.

_Mmmmm_

The fox tossed and turned in bed, rolling around in the company of soft pillows and blankets. His arm throbbed, but the pain wasn’t enough to rouse him from his sleeplike state. He rested his good paw on his face, blocking out the harsh afternoon sunlight emanating through the nearby window. Still half asleep, Nick’s paw left his face to grope around at the bed, trying to find a certain bunny rabbit.

“Over here scruffy.”

Nick opened his eyes to see his partner sitting in a chair across from him, dressed in a hospital gown, her right foot bandaged lightly. As the fox gradually realized where he was, he turned to his other arm, still pounding, smiling to himself as he saw the surgical shell of a white plaster cast encasing the limb.

“Guess you kept your promise of getting us out of there, eh Flopsy”, as Nick spoke he tore his eyes away from his new accessory to look the bunny in the eyes, “You ok?”

“Oh! Yeah- yeah, I’m fine. Just a few bumps and bruises.” Judy assured him, pinching her nose lightly before looking away from him.

The rabbit looked through the open window, out into the busy streets of Savanna central.

“…Judy?”

“Why, Nick?”

The vulpine’s grin softened into a frown as he looked back down at the cast on his arm. He stroked the plaster casing tenderly. Nick almost asked her what she meant. He wanted to pretend that he didn’t understand the question. But, the fox knew exactly what she was asking, and being coy would probably only irritate her further.

“That guy was trouble Carrots.”

“We’ve dealt with ‘trouble’ before, slick,” the rabbit massaged her temple and leaned back in her chair, “we dealt with it _together_.”

Nick sat up in the hospital bed, looking back at her, “Well we wouldn’t be dealing with trouble ‘together’ ever again if he hurt you.” His good paw gripped the bed covers in frustration. “If I let my fears get to me again; if I froze up when he came after you… I would only have myself to blame.”

The reynard twisted the sheets in his paw, digging his claws into them, “I figured that the only one I could hurt was myself, _if_ I went alone.”

“Nick-“

“Yeah, I know! You ended up saving my tail anyways, so really my plan failed miserably. I didn’t think things through, and I only caused you more trouble in the end, I get it.”

His grip on the bedding loosened, the bunny sighing in relief as he did so. The hospital bills weren’t cheap to begin with, and tearing apart the sheets wouldn’t make it any cheaper.

“… Thanks for coming after me.”

The rabbit folded her arms in frustration and raised an eyebrow, “Are you done?”

Nicks eyes widened slightly, taken aback by the apparent callousness of her question.

“Remind me, who saved who when the Lynx had me on the ropes back there?”

The vulpine swallowed hard.

“ _If_ my memory serves me, and let’s be honest here, _it does_ ; a certain fox, soaking in a pool of his own blood, did not hesitate to rush in and keep me from being pummeled into the ground.” As the bunny spoke she slowly made her way over to Nick’s bed, shrugging her shoulders.

“Judy…”

When the rabbit finally reached him, she lifted her leg up and rested her knee on the bed, reaching out for the fox’s paw so that he could help pull her up.

_Knock Knock_

The rabbit sighed, ears and eyelids drooping in resignation. She gently slid off the bed she had put so much effort into clambering up and slowly sauntered over to the door. She swung it open and was greeted almost immediately.

“Judy!” Bonnie and Stu shouted in near perfect unison.

“Mom… Dad, hey!” the rabbit laughed awkwardly before waving them in, “Make yourselves at home”. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes discreetly as she closed the door behind them. Bonnie wasn’t certain, but she _swore_ she heard her daughter mutter “ _I guess…_ ” under her breath.

“Did we come at a bad time?” the female bunny asked, turning back to Judy.

“No, not at all! Come on in,” Nick beckoned them to take a seat on the side of the wall where Judy had been sitting moments ago, turning down the volume of the T.V. suspended on the wall as they made their way over, “I honestly wasn’t expecting company, I’m flattered.”

Stu sat down and made himself comfortable, taking off his hat as he got situated. His wife sat her purse between her knees while taking care to smooth out her dress before taking her seat.

“Oh… we’re really only here to see Judy, sorry if you got the wrong idea fella…” Stu explained, not even taking the initiative to look Nick in the eye.

Judy took a step back, aghast.

“Yeah, we were told she was in your room for some reason…”

“Oh! Yeah, um I- ok…” Nick fumbled over his words.

The fox looked out the open window nervously, feeling a bit dejected. The tension in the room was uncomfortably thick, neither of the bunnies knowing what to say.

“…Glad to see you’re ok- _Fox_.” Stu finally broke the silence.

“Yeah…” his mate agreed.

Judy leaned up against the wall, standing next to Nick’s bed, the pastel blue shade of decor matching her gown.

“Thanks for coming guys, I’m doing well.” Judy began speaking again, having been eerily soft-spoken since her parents arrived, “Honestly, Nick is the one you all should be worried about.”

“But you are our _daughter_ , so of course we aren’t worried about what some _predator_ is going through!” Stu’s hat quickly crumpled in his paw, squeezed tight in frustration as he berated Judy.

“Stu!” Bonnie shouted indignantly.

Judy stepped away from the wall, an insult on the tip of her tongue.

Stu cowered at the sight of the angry bunny pointing her finger at him, ashamed of what he had just said. “I… I didn’t mean it! Some things just slip out.”

“Jesus capybara! Let’s act civil guys.” Nick shouted, waving his arms above his head, “Yikes!” He retracted his broken arm and cradled it with his good one, the limb strained by the unnecessary movement.

“Take it easy Nick,” Judy looked back at him, “look guys, thanks for the visit but you two really should get going-“

_Knock knock knock_

“Sweet cheese and crackers, _come in!”_

A giraffe ducked in an effort to squeeze his way through the door frame, clad in a white doctors robe with a clip board in hand.

“Good to see you’re awake Mr. Wilde! I was going to ask you if you knew your girlfriend had visited you ,but judging by how loud she is, I’m sure you are quite aware…” the doctor explained as he scribbled something down on the papers he had in hoof.

Judy crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in indignation.

“Girlfriend?” her father whimpered behind her.

Her annoyed expression took on a new intensity, forming a scowl as she turned to look back at her father.

“Judy…” her mother started.

“Ok, I see I came in at a bad time, I’ll see myself out. Expect me in a quarter of the hour.”

The doctor quickly excused himself, wandering out the door the same way he came in.

“Do you…do you love…this-“ her father tried to find the words, but was left unable to form the sentence.

“I don’t think I see what the big deal is.”

“ _Honey_ , you don’t see why it might be a bad idea to throw your lot in with…him?” Bonnie asked timidly.

“No”

“…really?” Bonnie raised an eyebrow, her mouth slightly ajar. She almost sounded disappointed.

As Judy scowled at her mother, Bonnie realized she had made a grave mistake.

“Ma, can I speak with you privately for a moment?”

“And leave me with…?” Stu stuttered out as Judy took her mother’s paw in her own, leading her out the door without waiting for her to comply too the offer.

Judy abruptly stopped, “Yup, he doesn’t bite. Unless I ask him too,” she continued out of the room, closing it gently behind them.

…

Nick sat up in bed, crossing his arms as he stared at Stu accusingly.

“Uh…”

Nick raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rabbit to speak.

“So, I’m sorry about the way I- Ya know I… I shouldn’t have-“

“You know, I’m not really in any position to eat you right now Mr. Hopps, even if I _wanted_ to.” The fox adjusted his pillow so that he could be better comfortable as he bored his dagger like eyes into the rabbit. “So… take it easy.” Nick’s expression softened.

…

“Look Ma, I get that a fox and a rabbit would probably garner a lot of unwanted attention-“

“Fantastic, then you understand what you’re doing here will ruin our family reputation?”

_Why is everyone interrupting each other today?_

“I don’t care mom!” Judy’s outburst attracted the attention of a nosey nurse knowingly looking their way as she wheeled a cart with medical supplies past them.

“ _I don’t care”_ she asserted again, in a hushed whisper this time.

“Look, these past few days have been tough on Nick and I,” the younger rabbit explained, frowning as she looked at her feet, arms folded across her chest for comfort, “but if anything good came out of them, it’s the realization that he loves me… and I love him.”

Bonnie stared silently at her daughter, rubbing her head as if she had a headache before walking over to the water cooler.

Judy followed her as the older rabbit poured herself a cup and sipped it gingerly, whistling as she blew air between her teeth before tossing the crumpled paper cup into the nearby trashcan. Bonnie wiped her mouth off before looking up at the hallway ceiling, overwhelmed by the current situation.

“This is important to me mom.”

“I see that.”

“So why can’t you just relax?” the smaller rabbit asked, pouring herself a cup of water from the same cooler as before.

“Judy… You see what that fox gets himself into.”

The younger rabbit turned the spout, stopping the water flow.

“What about it?” Judy asked, raising the cup up to her face to take a sip.

“He’s reckless.”

“I know a few rabbits who said the same about me.”

“Love him or not, you’re going to lose him Judy.”

The rabbit squeezed her water cup slightly, forcing water up and into her face. The thought horrified her. What if he did this again and she wasn’t around to bail him out? What if…

“This world isn’t too kind to foxes,” Bonnie continued, “especially the ones that get too friendly with prey.”

Judy tapped her foot anxiously, holding back her tears from the prospect. Would she be able to live with herself?

Her mother didn’t speak another word, letting the thought ruminate in her daughters mind for a moment.

Slowly, the rabbit’s foot slowed, eventually coming to a complete stop.

“Mom?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t.”

“What are you talking about?” Bonnie asked, placing her paws on her hips.

“Don’t… try to spare me the feeling of losing him by preventing me from ever having him in the first place.”

Bonnie fought the urge to walk away, instead settling on tugging at her own ears in frustration.

“Dammit Jude, why don’t you ever listen to me!?”

Judy’s eyes softened and she placed a single paw on her hip, smiling amicably.

“Fine! I see how much the guy means to you… You never were one to listen to me anyways, so there isn’t much point in arguing,” Bonnie returned the smile as she held onto her ears, “You have my blessing.”

Judy didn’t know what to say. She choked back the urge to cry.

The mother rabbit finally let go of her ears, her own eyes weepy. Within a second she was blubbering as she closed the distance between herself and her daughter, scooping her up in a tender hug. Judy couldn’t be asked to hold back her tears any longer as her mother tightened the embrace.

…

“Look, Mr. Hopps… I understand that you want to protect Judy.”

“Right” Stu agreed, his fingers steepled in front of his twitching nose.

Nick clasped his two paws together in front of his muzzle, looking as though he is deep in thought, “So here’s the deal, we both know that Judy is going to do whatever she wants,” Stu shrugged and nodded his head in agreement, _the fox had a point_ , “So, all I ask you is to give me a chance to prove to you that I’m good on my word. I’d risk everything for her.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to, I’m going to date your daughter regardless.”

The old rabbit sat there, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I know,” Stu bit at his lip, drawing blood, “but I don’t have to like it.”

The two sat across from each other, neither saying a word for some time.

“You know you’re acting like a child-” Nick started.

“Wait! Turn that up!” the older rabbit was eagerly pointing at the television screen, this year’s summer harvest festival results being announced. The fox was stunned, but he took the remote in his paw and raised the volume to an audible level.

“Wow… take a look at the size of that eggplant…” Stu was astonished, his mouth hanging open as the judge pinned a fancy blue ribbon on the enormous vegetable.

“Last year’s was bigger…” Nick muttered, leaning back against his pillows. All bitter thoughts left the fox now, it was kind of cute seeing the bunny so excited over an eggplant.

“Yeah… it was, but how did you know that? Do you keep up with the harvest festivals yourself?” Stu inquired, trying to contain his excitement.

No, of course Nick didn’t “keep up” with harvest festival programming. Judy had just happened to flip to the program when she was staying over at his house last year, and he remembered a particularly large eggplant winning the prize for largest summer harvest.

“Yeah, my family always watched this sort of stuff,” Nick placed his paws behind his head, trying to look as aloof as possible, “why, do you watch it?”

“Watch it?! Why, our family’s carrots have won the fall festival every year for the past _decade_!”

…

Bonnie and Judy slowly opened the door to Nick’s room, tears staining both of the rabbits’ cheeks.

“Good talk mom…”

As they entered the room both of the female bunnies nearly had simultaneous heart attacks. The sight before them was bizarre, unnatural. They had to be dreaming. Something was _very_ wrong with this picture.

Stu was sitting on Nick’s bed, phone in hand. He would stop scrolling ever so often to tell Nick the exciting story about how _that_ particular carrot won first place _that_ particular year, and the fox just nodded cordially, feigning excitement each time.

“Okay! Time to go Stu! Let the fox get his rest!”

“And- aw, fine… Don’t be a stranger Nick! Come over sometime and I’ll be happy to show you more!” Stu crawled out of the bed, joining his wife. “Oh! Wait, I’ve got a real nice one here-“

“Ok, yup, let’s go honey bunny, cya later Judy!” the matriarch of the Hopps family shouted as she pulled her husband away by his wrist.

“Buh-bye Jude the dude!” Stu yelled excitedly behind him and waved with his free paw.

Judy and Nick stared at one another, confused. Without looking away from him, Judy closed the door behind her.

“So, I step out for a second and you invite another rabbit into your bed?” Judy leaned in as she spoke, feigning offense.

“Your father no less!” Nick reminded her.

“No less!” Judy repeated as she strolled over to his bed again, a pleasant look overtaking her face once more, “Help me up slick”

Nick pulled the bunny up and into his lap.

“Won’t happen again, scouts honor-“

_Knock Knock Knock Knock_

The rabbit’s frustrated shriek could be heard throughout the entire hospital wing.

…

Judy sat on the edge of her mate’s bed as the two stared at the television screen, mesmerized by the current story.

“Felix Barrow, a dangerous criminal operating in the Tundra district, was apprehended two days ago and is now in police custody. More at twelve.” Fabienne Growley, the well-known news anchor, explained. Pictures of Felix struggling against his restraints as he is being wheeled away flashed upon the screen. The little rabbit looked away at the sight of the beast who attacked them.

Less out of fear, and more out of pity.

“He wasn’t that bad of a guy.”

Judy turned to the fox, surprised to hear her mate saying such a thing.

“I mean, he had issues that he needed to work through…”

A smile snuck its way back onto Judy’s face.

“So lynxes aren’t all bad?”

The fox sighed, grinning a half lidded smile, “Guess not,” Nick lowered the volume on the television set so they could speak easier, “besides, I guess I realized he ain’t that tough anyways.”

Judy’s smile became a smirk, “Oh, I’m sure he has nothing on a tough fox like _yourself_.”

“Yeah, and don’t you forget it” the vulpine stated, as if it was a matter of fact. He reclined further in bed, looking up at the ceiling.

Judy flopped over to stare at the same _sterile_ hospital roofing.

“You know Carrots, your parents are right about one thing.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“It’s not going to be easy… for either of us I mean.”

“Uh huh?” the rabbit said, slowly sitting up, looking at the fox returning her gaze.

“It’ll take a lot of work to convince people that we belong together.”

“Yeah…” the rabbit slowly began to crawl the length of the bed in an attempt to reach her lover.

“Worlds a pretty dangerous place for mammals such as you and I”

“Yup.” Judy wiggled her way in between his arms, placing her chin on his chest as his hand stroked her back.

“Hey, you listening fluff?” the fox asked, giving a gentle tug on her fluffy tail.

“Yeah, go on.”

_He smells of violets._

…

The cool night air of savanna central brought with it an urban summer scent as it flowed through the now open hospital room window. It may have brought with it a chilly reminder of the nights spent in Tundra Town as well had the bunny and fox lying in the hospital bed not been cozied up with one another, wrapped in the blanket the staff provided.

The light of a nearby street lamp shone through the window, gracing the corners of the room with its illuminating gaze, casting a comforting glow along the walls.

The blanket was not quite long enough to cover the fox’s feet, leaving the exposed digits on said feet to wriggle listlessly.

Wrapped in the fox’s arms lay a little bunny, her breast rising and falling peacefully, content to succumb to the good night. Occasionally, she would stir, open her eyes and, remembering where she was, would fall back into the sweet arms of her dreams.

The fox would nuzzle his face into the nape of her neck, whispering something only the two of them were meant to know before lightly squeezing the waste of the bunny and falling back to sleep himself. Her eyes still closed, the corners of the rabbit’s lips would curl upward slightly, forming a content smile.

The fluid bowings of a mammal playing “O Sole Mio” could be both heard and felt despite only being expressed through the worn radio sat on the fox’s bed side table, gingerly placed there by a kindly nurse before the couple went to bed. Mixed in with the beautiful melody are the intrusive honks and beeps of the cars outside their window.

Occasionally, the aforementioned wind would rustle the leaves of the proud oak trees which met the open window of the hospital room, having been planted there years ago.

Nick knew that in a few days they would have to go back to work, but it was moments like these that he _sincerely_ hoped all mammals would experience during the short time they have to play out their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait, what? Its over?   
> Sorry, give me a moment. I’m experiencing a mixture of relief as well as sadness at the sight of this story ending. I need to sort out my feelings.  
> Ok!  
> Yup, that’s all folks! It certainly wasn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever written, but I have to admit: I loved writing every word. Whenever one of you lovely readers would leave a review my heart skipped a beat, thank you so much!  
> Please, if you read this far into the story, drop me a review! Tell me what you loved, what you hated, what you are entirely impartial towards! I really cannot express my gratitude enough. I hope to see some of you wonderful people in the comments section of my next story!   
> Oh, and a certain one-shot I’ve written may be getting a new chapter sometime soon, so look out for that ; ).


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